Oregon's Devon Allen advances to semifinals in 110-meter hurdles

RIO DE JANEIRO — Devon Allen tied for first in his heat to advance with time to spare into the semifinals of the men's 110-meter hurdles, delaying for at least one more day a return to his role as a wide receiver at the University of Oregon.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise. After all, with the track still sloppy and wet after a downpour delayed competition at Olympic stadium, Allen might have been the only racer to know what it takes to excel in the rain.

“I definitely think I trained or played the most in the rain of everybody,” he said.

“It’s my first Olympic Games. I’m a young kid getting ready to run my first race in history. My adrenaline was up there.”

Since Allen took a little bit of Oregon with him to Rio, the least he could do was show his appreciation: Allen sent a message to his teammates back home while standing in the blocks before the race, an “inside joke,” he said, involving a series of motions and hand gestures.

“Hopefully they got it.”

He expected that his coaches and teammates would be gathered in the luxurious team meeting room inside Oregon’s football facility, watching Allen (with a time of 13.41 seconds) cruise through his heat in the first race of his Olympic career.

Allen had heard from all of his coaches and about 50 of his teammates, he said, all wishing him luck here at the Summer Games despite the fact that each strong race means at least one more day away from the program. After struggling last season while recovering from a knee injury, Allen was viewed as a crucial piece of the Ducks’ offense.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’m trying to do something special here. Those guys are trying to do something special there as well.”

Allen is strongly considering pursuing a professional track career while maintaining his final two seasons of college eligibility.

“Right now I’m considering doing both,” he said last week. “That’s something very possible for me in the future. So I’m kind of just taking it in stride and seeing where it goes.”

Oregon’s compliance department outlined a path toward competing in both events: Allen would retain his collegiate eligibility as long as he didn’t sign a track endorsement contract.

“It’s kind of the same thing with baseball players that come back and play football. They’re professional in one sport and amateur in another. I can compete in all the meets I want to professionally, if I want.”