Reigning US champ Devon Allen takes third in 110 hurdles at Nike Prefontaine Classic...
EUGENE—Former Puget Sound resident and reigning US national champion Devon Allen (above/photo by Howard Lao), competing on his home track finished third in the 110 hurdles at the Nike Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Allen ran a time of 13.11, as reigning Olympic champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica won in 13.01, with countryman Ronald Levy second in 13.10.
Allen ran a time of 13.11, as reigning Olympic champion Omar McLeod of Jamaica won in 13.01, with countryman Ronald Levy second in 13.10.
Allen, who was in contention for most of the race, hit the final hurdle, losing whatever chance he had of catching McLeod on the run-in.
Allen spent some of his early childhood in the Seattle area before attending high school in Arizona, and attending the University of Oregon, where he was an outstanding wide receiver and a multi-time NCAA champ in the hurdles. He was hurt during the football season after returning from the Olympics, then opted to turn pro in track after the start of 2017.
Former Emerald Ridge HS standout Hassan Mead, currently a member of the Nike Oregon TC Elite and a 2016 Olympian, finished 16th in a time of 13:19.16, in a race won by Nike Oregon Project’s Mo Farah of Great Britain, the reigning world and Olympic champion.
Farah (left/photo by Howard Lao) ran 13:00.70 in what he said was his final track race on American soil, as he plans to transition to the marathon after the 2017 track season.
Highlights of the third stop of the IAAF Diamond League tour included reigning Olympic and world champion Christian Taylor winning the triple jump in a world leading 59-5 (18.11m) over former University of Florida teammate Will Claye, who jumped a wind-aided 59-2.75 (18.05m).
Taylor was given the Maria Mutola award for the most outstanding performance of the entire meet.
In the men’s international mile, Brazil’s Thiago Do Rosario Andre sprinted for the win in 3:51.99. Back in 11th place, Jakob Ingebrigsten became the first 16-year old to break 4 minutes in the mile, running 3:58.07.
The women’s 200 saw Olympic 4x100 relay gold medalist Tori Bowie of the USA pull off a minor upset, winning in 21.77 over a field that included Rio Olympic 400 champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo (21.91), reigning Olympic 100 & 200 champ Elaine Thompson of Jamaica (21.98), and reigning world champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands (22.30).
So deep was this field that multi-time world and Olympic champ Allyson Felix was only fifth in 22.33.
As a side note, this was the first time outside a major championship race that three women ran under 22 seconds.
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