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Against the best of the best, Devon Allen continued to shine. Allen kept up his torrid pace by making it to the finals earlier in the day. His semifinal round was simply a tune-up, running 13.40 to win his heat and take the second-fastest semifinal time into the finals. Then when it mattered most, the speedster turned up the heat clocking a blazing 13.03 in the process. Allen not only secured a bid to Rio, but also won the U.S. title among top competition.
Allen's time marked a personal best and the third-fastest time in the world this year. The win was no small feat, as Allen had to beat out two former Olympic gold medalists (Jason Richardson, Aries Merritt), neither of which will be going to Rio. Allen is now the first athlete since 1956 to win the event at both the Olympic Trials and NCAA championships in the same year. The redshirt sophomore was animated after the race, leaping into the crowd to celebrate with family.
DEVON ALLEN
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 10, 2016
He wins the men's 110m hurdles with a blazing 13.03! More highlights: https://t.co/s8sasnBSYw https://t.co/LuPeshQnvV
Despite having six entrants in the men's 5,000 final, no Ducks will be going to Rio. Galen Rupp was looking to punch a ticket in his third event but ran out of gas in the final lap. Rupp led with 300 meters to go before ultimately taking ninth. The closest Duck was alum Eric Jenkins, who missed a spot by only six-hundredths of a second. Jenkins ran 13:35.98 to finish in fourth place.
The women sprinters gave Oregon fans something else to look forward to with their semifinal performances. Jenna Prandini and Ariana Washington went 1-2 in their heat, while Deajah Stevens won her heat in 22.45. Prandini (22.68) and Washington (22.72) were only separated by four hundredths, giving the Ducks three of the top six times as all three advanced to tomorrow's finals.
Oregon can already claim seven Olympians with one day of action left. The men's high jump still looms, as does the women's 200 finals.