Track & Field - News

Cuba's Dayron Robles broke the 110m hurdles world record to lay down his credentials for the Olympic title.

The 21-year-old clocked 12.87 seconds at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava to eclipse Olympic champion Liu Xiang's previous mark by 0.01secs.

"It is such a good time. Wow, I did not expect that," said Robles, whose previous best was 12.92 secs.

World 100m record holder Usain Bolt won the 200m in 19.83 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.

In his first race since beating the 100m record, Bolt - yet to decide whether he will double up at the Olympics - ran his second fastest time over 200m, short of his best of 19.75secs set last year.

"It's my first 200 of the year, and I'm very happy with my time," said Bolt, who will next run at the Jamaican national championships from 27-29 June.

Robles is the second Cuban athlete to hold the 110m hurdles record, compatriot Alejandro Casañas holding it between 1977 and 1979.

The scoreboard clock read 12.88, Xiang's old record time, for nearly two minutes before being adjusted to the correct time.

"When I saw the .87, I just went crazy," added Robles. "I can't explain if it was a perfect race, but I think I can run faster."

Veteran American Terrence Trammell, a twice Olympic and world championships silver medallist, finished a distant second in 13.21.

Xiang is under pressure to defend his Olympic crown on home soil in Beijing, but now has a major challenger on his hands.

Robles has set seven of the eight fastest indoor times this year, his best of 7.33 secs approaching Welshman Colin Jackson's long-standing 60m indoor record of 7.30.

"When he ran 7.33 indoors, I knew he was capable of beating both the indoor and outdoor records," said Robles' coach Santiago Antunez.

"He was feeling great and I was expecting something magical. To beat a world record, you have to have a perfect race, almost faultless. It has been easy here."

Britain's world champion Christine Ohuruogu won her first 400m race of the year, clocking 51.06, while another Briton, Martyn Rooney, won the men's race in 45.32.

"It was my first outdoor 400m this season so I am satisfied with my time," said Ohuruogu, 24.

"It is going to be very hard to defend the position of world number one from the World Championships in Osaka at the Olympics - but I want to try it."

Rooney's performance ensured he stayed at the top of the European men's 400m rankings and he is now focused on his goals for the season.

"I want to be the number one in Europe and to reach the final at the Olympics," the 21-year-old said.

But Jemma Simpson and Marilyn Okoro were ran out of the women's 800m, finishing fourth and eighth respectively.

Mo Farah, after briefly hitting the front early in his 5000m race, dropped off the pace finishing 17th in 13:25.01secs.

The meeting opened with a world record in the women's One Hour Run.

Dire Tune of Ethiopia covered 18,517m in 60 minutes, adding 177m to the previous record of 18,340 set by Kenyan Tegla Loroupe 10 years ago in Borgholzhausen, Germany.

Six days after breaking the 5000m world record, Tirunesh Dibaba won the 10,000m in 31:03.37, a performance which should ensure her selection in the event for Ethiopia's Olympic team.

Croatia's high jump world chanpion Blanka Vlasic had three attempts at a world record of 2.10m, but had to settle for 2.05m as he claimed his 27th consecutive win.

Elsewhere, world and Olympic 400m champion Jeremy Wariner won a rarely-run 300m race in 31.72 secs, well off the world best of 30.85 set by Michael Johnson in 2000.