Robles, who has set seven of the eight fastest indoor times this year, clocked 12.87 seconds at the Ostrava grand prix. Liu set the previous mark of 12.88 in Lausanne two years ago.

Running in just his third outdoor race of the season, the 21-year-old Cuban held a commanding lead by the fourth hurdle and never looked threatened.

"It is such a good time. I did not expect that," Robles, whose previous best was 12.92 from last year, told reporters.

"Wow, I didn't see that coming," said American veteran Terrence Trammell, a two-time Olympic and world championship silver medalist, who finished a distant second in 13.21.

"By the eighth hurdle, I just thought, 'forget it.'"

Liu, 24, the home nation's favorite for a men's athletics medal in Beijing, was disqualified for a false start at the Prefontaine Classic in the United States over the weekend.

He has been suffering from a tight hamstring, which forced him to withdraw from the Reebok Grand Prix in the previous week.

Ostrava Grand Prix :12.87 Performance

Interview Following Record Performance

(In English)

Steve McGill's full description of the style of the 6' 4" Cuban who now owns the World Record may be seen at HurdlesFirst and includes the following assessment

"Simply put, Robles is a beast. He's a great athlete, a highly-skilled technician, and he'll only be 21 in Beijing. So he is still very much on the upswing of his career, and he still hasn't mastered the event."