CJ Allen finishes sixth in competitive 400 hurdles race at Bislett Games...
OSLO, Norway--Washington State University alum CJ Allen (Paul Merca photo) finished sixth in his third Wanda Diamond League meet of the 2024 season at the Bislett Games Thursday night on a cool overcast evening in the Norwegian capital.
Five days after competing at the Nike Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, the fifth stop on the Wanda Diamond League circuit, Allen made the trek across the Atlantic to compete in Oslo for the first of two Diamond League meets in a span of four days.
Starting in lane 4 with hometown hero and the defending Olympic champ Karsten Warholm in lane 7, 2022 world champ Alison dos Santos of Brazil to Allen's right in 5, and Rasmus Mägi, who beat out Allen Saturday for second, in lane 8, the WSU grad got out to a strong start, positioning himself for a strong finish heading over the last three hurdles.
However, Allen could not maintain the momentum heading into the homestretch, fading to sixth in a time of 49.42.
Meanwhile, dos Santos caught Warholm on the run in after the Norwegian, who was running his season opener in the 400 hurdles, clipped the final hurdle, causing him to lose momentum, as dos Santos took the win in a world leading time of 46.63, with Warholm finishing in 46.70.
Courtesy of NBC Sports, here is a video replay of the race (video may be geoblocked outside of the USA; it can be viewed on the Bislett Games page):
Allen, who was the Diamond League points leader in the 400 hurdles going into Oslo, is now tied on points with dos Santos with 16 points, but dos Santos is the circuit leader based on winning in Oslo.
Allen, dos Santos, and Mägi, who finished fourth in 48.56, will resume their battle over the 400 hurdles Sunday at the Bauhaus Galan meet in Stockholm, the seventh stop on the Wanda Diamond League tour.
Washington alum Brian Fay finished 18th in the 5000 meters, running 13:30.45, as Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet ran to victory in a national record 12:36.73 to defeat countryman and former Nike Oregon Project runner Yomif Kejelcha, who ran a personal best 12:38.95.
The first 12 runners across the finish line in the race either ran a national record, personal best or season best, and the first 13 ran under 13 minutes.
After Stockholm, the Wanda Diamond League pauses for the European Championships in Rome next week, along with the various national championships in the month of June, as well as the Olympic Trials of various countries contested.
The Diamond League circuit resumes on July 7th in Paris.
In Rathdrum, Idaho, Washinton State alum Brock Eager fouled all three throws in the hammer on day 1 of the Iron Wood Classic at the Iron Wood Throwers Center 30 minutes east of Spokane.
Eager will get another competitive opportunity when the meet resumes Saturday.
Arizona alum Grayson Fleming won with a throw of 229-8 (70.00m).
Friday night, Sam Prakel, Johnny Gregorek, and Sam Ellis, who train under UW men's coach Andy Powell's pro group, will race in Atlanta at the Edwin Moses Legends Meet on the Edwin Moses Track on the campus of Morehouse College.
Prakel and Gregorek are entered in the 1500, while Ellis will run the 800.
Flotrack ($) will stream the meet starting at 5:00 pm, Eastern time.
NOTE: The Wanda Diamond League, the Iron Wood Throwers Center, and the American Track League contributed to this report.
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