Former Olympian turns to agriculture

HAVANA－Cuban Olympic champion Dayron Robles, who won the men's 110m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has now become an agricultural entrepreneur.

The 35-year-old runs a flourishing organic farm in the Havana district of El Cotorro, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Robles, who starts his day early, harvests different crops, including cauliflower, chard, lettuce, tomato and onion.

"I want to not only feed my family, but also promote healthy feeding habits and contribute to developing agroecology in Cuba," Robles says.

Over the past few years, small-scale organic farms have spread across the Caribbean nation to support the production of food amid tightened US sanctions.

Born and raised in the province of Guantanamo, in eastern Cuba, Robles practiced boxing, karate, taekwondo and basketball before finding his real passion in track and field.

With retired Chinese star Liu Xiang as his main competitor, he also won medals at the World Indoor Championships and Pan American Games.

Using agroecological techniques to avoid soil erosion, he has become a sustainable-agriculture advocate and a role model for local entrepreneurs.

Now that he has hung up his running boots, he wants to succeed in cultivating the land and doing business.

"I decided to move in a different direction, but I have not stopped dreaming about track and field," he says.

Xinhua