100 Olympic Athletes To Watch

Beijing 2008

59. Dayron Robles

Pascal Guyot / AFP / Getty
Article Tools

Hurdles
Cuba
Age:21

It's easy to forget that Guantánamo is more than a controversial U.S. prison site. The Cuban province has inspired popular songs like Guantanamera and turns out famous athletes like Robles, the world record-holder in the 110m hurdles (12.87 seconds). Robles will be part of a marquee showdown in Beijing against defending Olympic champion Liu Xiang, a hero in China whose own world record Robles broke in June by .01 sec. A product of communist Cuba's national sports school system, the bespectacled Robles is less experienced — in March he stopped during an important indoor race after what he thought was a false start — but he's motivated by the gold and bronze Cuba won in his event the past two Olympics. In a letter he posted on the Internet last month, he wrote, "I want to keep Cuba on the podium." And put Guantánamo on the sports map again.

See Full List

Video

LeBron James: Leader of the Redeem Team

TIME's Sean Gregory shoots hoops with the Cleveland Cavalier superstar, who promises the US Olympic basketball team will take the gold in Beijing

Podcast

Olympians to Watch

TIME's Sean Gregory talks about the stories behind the olympians to watch at the Beijing games