Robles wins rapid hurdles, Tamgho sets record

DOHA, (Reuters) – Cuban outdoor world record-holder  Dayron Robles won a speedy 60 metres hurdles final to share the  world indoor championships spotlight with a faltering Yelena  Isinbayeva and Frenchman Teddy Tamgho yesterday.

Robles equalled the third-fastest 60 metres hurdles of  all-time with his run of 7.34 seconds for a photo-finish win  over Terrence Trammell, who was two-hundredths of a second  behind to tie the American record.

“The world indoor record (Briton Colin Jackson’s 7.30 in  1994) will fall one day,” said Robles, whose best time is 7.33  seconds.

“I am as excited as breaking the world (outdoor) record,”  the Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion added.

American David Oliver took third and Chinese defending  champion Liu Xiang, who continues to recover from Achilles  surgery, was seventh.

SECOND FAILURE

Isinbayeva left the championships perplexed after  unexpectedly crashing out of a second consecutive global  championship without a medal.

“I really do not know what happened,” said the 2008 Olympic  champion and world record holder, who failed three times at 4.75  metres after opening successfully at 4.60.

“Maybe I was too tired emotionally,” said Isinbayeva. “I  hope in the summer world records will come (again).

Brazilian Fabiana Murer claimed the gold at 4.80 metres, a  mark Russian silver medallist Svetlana Feofanova also cleared.

Isinbayeva was fourth behind Polish outdoor world champion  Anna Rogowska.

Tamgho, just 20, provided the shock of the three-day meeting  with his world record leap of 17.90 metres on his final triple  jump.

“I knew I had it in me because last year in Bercy I had a  foul close to 18 metres,” the former world junior champion said.

“Today, I thought if I won, it would be around 17.60 metres.  But after the Cuban (Yoandri Betanzos) jumped 17.69, I had to  react.”

Betanzos finished second and compatriot David Girat was  third.

Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat also set a mark of  distinction, winning his second 3,000 metres title six years  after the first.

His time of seven minutes 37.97 seconds made him the oldest  man to win a world indoor championships gold medal.

“My kids woke up at 7 a.m in the morning to watch their  daddy,” Lagat said. “So I needed to show them something.”