Robles may miss hurdles showdown in Oregon

Olympic champion Dayron Robles is likely to miss a highly-anticipated hurdles showdown this weekend because of a delay in obtaining a US visa, the Cuban's coach said on Wednesday.

The Diamond League meeting in Eugene, Oregon, would have been the first race of the 25-year-old's career in the US and was expected to be a preview of the 110m hurdles final at the London Olympics.

The delay in obtaining a visa for Robles and his Cuban teammates, however, was likely to scupper world record holder's participation, his coach said

"It is unlikely that we can compete in Eugene," Santiago Antunez said.

"Everything is delayed and then he would have to race the top eight (hurdlers) in the world."

Robles had hoped to fly to Oregon on Wednesday so he could be well rested for Saturday's clash but the visas, while approved, will not be ready for collection until Thursday, Antunez said.

That made Antunez cautious about sending Robles out at less than full strength against a field that would include the three fastest high hurdlers of all time.

Resurgent 2004 Olympic champion Liu Xiang, who posted the best time of the year in 12.97 sec earlier this month, and US record holder David Oliver are set to line up for the race.

World champion Jason Richardson, who was handed the gold in Daegu, South Korea, last year after Robles was disqualified for impeding Liu in the final, and indoor world champion Aries Merritt, both Americans, will also run.

"This competition is an Olympic final," Antunez said.

Prefontaine Classic organizer Tom Jordan said he had heard nothing official from the Cubans.

"Until I do, I cannot comment," he said.

Robles also wants to compete in the New York Grand Prix on June 9.

Sub 13?

"I definitely would not be surprised to see a sub-13 (seconds) performance," Oliver said. "It is incredibly hard not to run that fast if everybody runs and doesn't make mistakes."

While only two hundredths of a second separate the lifetime bests of Robles (12.87), Liu (12.88) and Oliver (12.89), "the only thing we have in common is we take seven steps to the first hurdle", the American said.

"They are lot more smooth looking (hurdling)."

By contrast, the bulky Oliver appears he should be tackling hurdles rather than jumping them.

"You look at my lane and I have at least four hurdles knocked down," he said. "But as long as I am not hitting them so that is going to knock me off balance, it is not a big deal."

When it does happen, Oliver cannot wait for a rematch with Liu and Robles.

"Me and Liu were kind of right there through eight (hurdles)," he said of his Shanghai loss. "Then at nine I stepped on the hurdle, and it caused me to rock back and I just lost it from that point and ended up with 13.13," he said. "It was a nightmare."

Reuters in Havana