Robles disqualified after winning 110 hurdles at worlds following protest

DAEGU, South Korea – Olympic champion Dayron Robles was disqualified for pulling rival Liu Xiang out of the hunt for gold in the 110-metre hurdles Monday, handing victory in one of the most anticipated races of the world championships to American outsider Jason Richardson.

In a race almost as controversial as the 100 final disqualification of Usain Bolt on Sunday, Robles crossed the line first, but Liu appealed after the Cuban tangled with him over the two last hurdles, which suddenly pushed the Chinese into third place.

The track referee disqualified him for “obstruction.”

A Cuban counter-appeal was dismissed, giving the title to Richardson. The American profited from Liu’s tangle to sneak across the line in second.

“When I approached the ninth hurdle, Robles pulled me. It made me slow down,” Liu, who had finished third but was bumped up to silver, said through a translator. “At first, I thought I would be the champion or at least second. But Robles pulled me.”

Liu did not imply malicious intent on Robles’ part in a race traditionally rife with flying arms and legs in narrow lanes.

“I am really sorry about the situation. You know competition,” Liu said. “Besides, we are good friends.”

Instead, it was Richardson who ran away with this year’s biggest prize.

“Whatever reward I get from doing my best, I will accept. If it’s gold, silver or bronze, it doesn’t matter,” Richardson said. “It’s bittersweet. You never want to see someone as talented as Robles disqualified.”

The decision left the Cubans angry.

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“He won the race. That’s what we know,” said Robles’ coach, Santiago Antunez.

But Liu was adamant there was crucial interference between the runners in the neighbouring lanes.

With David Oliver, Robles and Liu, the three fastest men in history lining up against each other, fireworks were assured.

Oliver was the first man out of the race for gold, plowing into the second hurdle and never recovering. Robles had used his lightning start to build a sizable lead, but slowly Liu got back at him until both were almost level with two of the 10 hurdles remaining.

Robles and Liu first seemed to touch when clearing the ninth hurdle, and then again on the final one. Liu caught the final hurdle between his legs and lost vital momentum as he fell back.

Oliver, a pre-race favourite from the United States who ended up fourth, said such tangles in an action-packed race should be no reason to change the result.

“So he might have gotten dq for hitting Liu, man that happens almost every single hurdle race, happened to me in the semi…tough break,” Oliver wrote on Twitter.

Robles had crossed the line in 13.14 seconds, followed by Richardson in 13.16 and the fast slowing Liu in 13.27. Andrew Turner of Britain crossed in 13.44 for bronze, the same official time as Oliver.

Canada’s Jessica Zelinka is in eighth place following the first day of competition in the heptathlon. The London, Ont., native has 3,783 points after four events. Ruky Abdulai of Coquitlam, B.C., is 20th with 3,590 points.

Meanwhile, Alex Genest of Lac-aux-Sables, Que., and Matthew Hughes of Oshawa, Ont., failed to advance in the men’s 3000-metre steeple chase.

The Americans won a second sprint title when Carmelita Jeter came back from behind to win the 100 ahead of Jamaican veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown. Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago took bronze.

The United States was also expected to top the women’s 400, but it was Amantle Montsho who gave Botswana its first medal at a world championship, and a gold one to start out with.

Allyson Felix, a three-time world champion in the 200, was even with Montsho as they entered the final straight but couldn’t overtake her down the stretch. Felix was looking for a 200-400 double at the worlds and two relay titles as well.

Montsho won in a national record time of 49.56 seconds. Felix was second in 49.59 and Anastasiya Kapachinskaya of Russia was third in 50.24.

Defending champion Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States finished seventh in 51.32.

Also, Pawel Wojciechowski of Poland won gold the pole vault, clearing 5.90 metres and beating Lazaro Borges of Cuba for silver on a countback of fewer missed attempts.

Favourite Renaud Lavillenie of France took bronze with a height of 5.85.

Koji Murofushi of Japan won the hammer throw, edging Krisztian Pars of Hungary. Murofushi twice threw 81.24 metres to win gold, holding off Pars by just six centimetres. Primoz Kozmus of Slovenia had a mark of 79.39 for bronze.

Murofushi, the 2004 Olympic champion, won his first world title at 36.

In the women’s shot put, Valerie Adams of New Zealand defended her title, winning with a throw of 21.24 metres. Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus was second with 20.05 and Jillian Camarena-Williams of the United States took third with 20.02.