By Isaac Gibson
When Oregon hurdler Devon Allen looked back on what inspired him to pursue his Olympic dreams, he remembered watching Usain Bolt breaking world records at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
“I was 12 and was running club track by then, and all my friends were talking about it,” Allen said. “I think that was the first time I ever thought that was a possibility, and it was something that I wanted to do.”
Allen, a redshirt sophomore, will join 10 other Oregon teammates who will be competing for a spot on the Olympic team at the U.S. Olympic trials, July 1-10 at Hayward Field. He just finished his collegiate season by winning the NCAA championships in the men’s 110-meter hurdles and was also the Pac-12 champion in both the 110 hurdles and 200 meters.
This will be Allen’s second time facing off against the best runners the U.S. has to offer. Allen was just a freshman when he won the 2014 U.S. outdoor championships in 13.16. He ran that same time at the NCAA outdoor championships that year, which set both a school and a meet record. However, this year should be more challenging, and Allen is expecting that.
“It will definitely be at a higher level because every Olympic year guys are fine-tuned and locked-in to run fast,” he said. “I think being the 2014 champion kind of gives me more confidence, but it doesn’t really matter how fast you run. The goal is to place top three.”
While the goal of the trials is to place in the top three to land a spot on the Olympic team, the U.S. perhaps has the deepest field of hurdlers in the world, and a fast time will be required to make the team.
Aries Merritt, the current world record holder in the event, will be competing alongside David Oliver and Aleec Harris. Oliver and Harris have run 13.12 and 13.11 respectively this season while Merritt has been recovering from a kidney transplant, but has still managed to run 13.24.
Allen’s fastest time this year was at the Pac-12 Championships, where he ran 13.32. That would have left him in last place in the finals at the 2012 Olympic trials, but Allen remains hopeful.
“I think I can handle my own against the big dogs,” Allen said. “So far I’m undefeated in championship meets, so I hope to keep that streak going.”
The first round of the 110 hurdles will take place at 3:02 p.m. on Friday, July 8. The semifinals and finals will be held the following day at 4:25 p.m. and 5:52 p.m.
Click here to see which athletes have qualified for and declared they will compete in the trials.
