From track to field: Cuban Olympic Champion Dayron Robles flourishing as agricultural entrepreneur
The Beijing 2008 men’s 110m hurdles Olympic gold medallist now runs an organic farm in the Havana district of El Cotorro, in a big change from the athletics world he once dominated.
Athletics
Life these days looks a little different from the fast-paced world of hurdles that Cuba's Olympic gold medallist Dayron Robles once knew.
The 35-year-old former athletics star reached the pinnacle when he blasted to gold in the men’s 110m at Beijing 2008.
Then 21, the Cuban was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the chasing pack finishing 0.24 seconds ahead of silver medallist David Payne of Team USA.
Now, Robles enjoys a much slower and steadier way of living. After wrapping up his sporting career, he swapped his spikes and shades for the toils of farming life.
The two-time Olympian explained to Xinhua his motivation for turning to the soil:
“I do not only want to feed my family but to provide other entrepreneurship with fruits and vegetables.
“I want to promote healthy feeding habits and contribute to developing agroecology in Cuba.”
Robles runs an organic farm in the Havana district of El Cotorro where he resides with his wife and family. There, he produces all manner of crops including cauliflower, lettuce and tomato. He also runs a local restaurant and hosts an Airbnb residence.
He also sees working the land as much more than a simple hobby. He pours a lot of time and energy to his farm:
“It’s a personal dream of mine,” the former world record holder told the Havana Times back in 2020. “I’ve always wanted to have the countryside in my life, to put productive chains in my life.
“I love the work involved: ploughing the land, planting seeds, watering, looking after the seeds, watching them sprout.”
During his athletics career the Guantanamo-born hurdler scooped up all almost all the top prizes. In addition to his Olympic title, Robles took gold at the 2010 World Indoor Championships in Doha as well as two Pan American titles in 2007 and 2011.
When asked by Xinhua about his former glory days, Robles replied:
“I decided to move in a different direction, but I have not stopped dreaming about track and field.”