Cuba's Robles targets record-breaking return

Cuba's Olympic champion hurdler Dayron Robles is itching to prove he is still one of the fastest men on the planet after a five-month injury lay-off.

The world record holder in the 110-metre hurdles is set to run on February 3 in Dusseldorf in his first appearance since pulling up lame at last year's World Championships in Berlin.

"I will try to be there in the top level of competition, trying to be one of the best," Robles told Reuters.

"I'm hoping for the best results I can get... but you have to be cognisant that there's a great rivalry in the event today."

The 23-year-old from Cuba's Guantanamo province is still unsure about whether his left leg is ready for competition and insisted he would not take risks.

"I still haven't tried it at full speed, but there's no hurry," he said.

"I don't have any hurry or any commitment to anything. I only have a big commitment to myself."

Robles shot to fame in June 2008 when he ran the 110-metre hurdles in a world record 12.87 seconds and then stormed to the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics two months later.

But a nagging leg injury caught up with him in Berlin and Cuban specialists worked on repairing the damage before Robles began intense rehab.

What was initially thought to be a hamstring injury was subsequently diagnosed as an irritated sciatic nerve linked to an odd problem for a world-class runner - flat feet.

The runner's flat feet sometimes cause the nerve to flare up during races and make his thigh muscle contract, according to his coach Santiago Antunez.

"There's no solution for flat feet," said Antunez.

"What we are doing is correcting some things."

Robles, who has added more weight work and extensive stretching to his training regimen, showed no signs of injury during the weekend as he worked out under Havana's warm January sun.

Assuming his leg stays healthy, Robles plans to run in five or six European meets before the World Indoor Championships in Qatar in March.

The Cuban has targeted the world indoor record of 7.30 seconds for the 60m hurdles set by Britain's Colin Jackson 16 years ago. Robles's best is 7.33.