Robles out, Gay in at US meet

NEW YORK (AFP) –

Tyson Gay of the USA, pictured in 2011. Cuba’s Dayron Robles, the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles, will not compete in the Diamond League athletics meet on Saturday, organizers announced on Tuesday. But three-time world champion Gay will make his return from a long layoff after hip surgery.

Cuba’s Dayron Robles, the reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder in the 110-meter hurdles, will not compete in the Diamond League athletics meet on Saturday, organizers announced on Tuesday.

But three-time world champion Tyson Gay will make his return from a long layoff after hip surgery in the meet in what will be his only tuneup for the US Olympic trials later this month at Eugene, Oregon.

Three weeks ago, 25-year-old Caribbean star Robles was named as an entrant to face reigning world champion Jason Richardson and fellow American David Oliver, a bronze medalist in the event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Organizers said Robles, who also skipped a meet last weekend in Eugene, has a slight injury.

Gay won the 100 and 200 world titles in 2007 as well as helping the US 4×100 relay capture the world title. He owns the American 100m record of 9.69 seconds and will compete in the B-level race. He has not competed in nearly a year.

Also joining the meet will be Ethiopia’s Meseret Defar, the 2004 Olympic and 2007 world 5,000m champion, and Brazil’s Fabiana Murer, the reigning world women’s pole vault champion.

Defar will face compatriot Tirunesh Dibaba, the reigning 5,000 and 10,000 Olympic champion, for the first time since 2009. Dibaba owns the 5,000m world record.