Robles reasserts authority in 110m Hurdles in Paris

(BEIJING, July 20) -- Dayron Robles of Cuba posted a time of 12.88 seconds in the Men's 110m Hurdles at the Meeting Gaz de France Paris Saint-Denis on Friday,which is just 1/100th second slower than the world record time he posted at the IAAF Grand Prix on June 12.

This is the second time Robles has clocked below 12.90 seconds, making the Cuban the only one who has reached the mark twice.

The 21-year-old hurdler won at the Golden Gala in Rome in 13.08 seconds last Friday. The repeat victory in Paris confirms once again that he is in good shape heading into the Summer Games in Beijing.

Robles' time in Paris matched the previous world record, which China's Liu Xiang, Olympic champion in Athens 2004, set on July 11, 2006, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The two will meet in Beijing in August in one of the most anticipated showdowns of the Olympic Games.