Oregon WR Devon Allen qualifies for Rio Olympics
Before he joins his teammates on the football field this fall, Oregon’s Devon Allen will make a pit stop in Rio.
Allen, a redshirt junior wide receiver, qualified for the U.S. Olympic track and field team Saturday after winning the 110-meter hurdles event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene. Allen, a two-time NCAA title winner (in 110-meter and 60-meter indoor hurdles) posted a personal-best time of 13.03 seconds, punching his ticket to the Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil, next month.
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DEVON ALLEN ????
He wins the men's 110m hurdles with a blazing 13.03! More highlights: https://t.co/s8sasnBSYw https://t.co/LuPeshQnvV
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) July 10, 2016
Saturday’s win was the second U.S. Outdoor title for Allen, who also won in 2014 – a non-Olympic year.
The 6-foot, 185-pound Allen puts that speed to good use on the football field, too. As a redshirt freshman in 2014, Allen caught 41 passes for 684 yards and seven touchdowns before suffering an ACL tear in the Ducks’ Rose Bowl win over Florida State. Allen was able to return to the field in 2015, but clearly wasn’t at full strength. He had a big drop-off in production, registering only nine receptions for 94 yards in 12 games.
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According to Oregon’s Athletics website, Allen hopes to return to the Ducks’ football team in time for the second game of the season on Sept. 10 against Virginia. If his performance on the track is any indication, Allen is fully healthy and could provide a huge boost for the Ducks’ offense.
For more Oregon news, visit DuckSportsAuthority.com.
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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
