Cuban Olympic champion becomes agricultural entrepreneur

Beijing, 11 March (2022) - Cuban Olympic champion Dayron Robles, who won the men's 110m hurdles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has now become an agricultural entrepreneur.

The 35-year-old runs a flourishing organic farm in the Havana district of El Cotorro, where he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Robles, who starts his day early in the morning, harvests different crops, including cauliflower, chard, lettuce, tomato and onion.

"I do not only want to feed my family but to provide other entrepreneurship with fresh fruits and vegetables," Robles said. "I want to promote healthy feeding habits and contribute to developing agroecology in Cuba."

Over the past few years, small-scale organic farms have spread across the Caribbean nation to support the national production of food amid tightened U.S. sanctions.

Born and raised in the province of Guantanamo, in eastern Cuba, Robles practiced boxing, karate, taekwondo, and basketball before finding his real passion in track and field.

With retired Chinese star Liu Xiang his main competitor, he also won medals at World Indoor Championships and Pan American Games.

Using agroecological techniques to avoid soil erosion, he has become a sustainable agriculture advocate and a role model for local entrepreneurs.

Now away from the track and his best shape as an elite athlete, he wants to succeed in cultivating the land and doing business.

"I decided to move in a different direction, but I have not stopped dreaming about track and field," he said.