Olympic Dream

C.J. Allen cleared his first hurdle as a 10-year-old at Grapeview Elementary School. Unlike the other kids, he could jump hurdles designed for college athletes.

"Even in the fifth grade, I said I was going to be in the Olympics," Allen said in a telephone interview last week from his home in Georgia. "That's the pinnacle of my sport."

Allen achieved that pinnacle June 30 by placing second in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 47.81 at the U.S. Olympic qualifying time trials at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene. Ranked seventh in the world, Allen will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris Aug. 5 and 7, with the finals on Aug. 9.

Allen's Olympic qualifying race was at 5 p.m., which meant spending the day sitting around.

"The pressure is really hard," he said. "I had pre-race nerves." Those nerves vanished as he warmed up, he said.

"It was a relief," Allen said of qualifying for the Olympics. "I've been running hurdles for 19 years."

Allen was born on Valentine's Day 1995 in Bremerton and grew up in Allyn. His mother, Amy, remembers watching him jump over shrubs when he was 3 years old. "They were about as tall as him," she said in an interview with the Journal.

At North Mason High School, Allen won nine athletic letters: one for cross country, two for football, two for basketball and four for track under Coach Jeff Bevers.

"He was always a very confident kid," said Bevers, now a teacher and track coach in the Bremerton School District.

"C.J. is about as good as they come," Bevers said. "Just knowing how much hard work has gone into making this dream come true is fascinating."

Competing in the 2A state championships in the 300-meter hurdles, Allen placed fifth as a sophomore, second as a junior, and won the state championship at the Mount Tahoma 2A state meet May 25, 2013. He ran a meet record time with 37.33. Allen also won the 110-meter hurdles championship as a junior and placed third as a senior.

Allen had been recruited by several colleges and visited the campuses of the University of Iowa and Arkansas State University. He canceled other visits after he toured Washington State University in Pullman. "I fell in love with it," he said.

Allen twice placed first in the PAC-12 in the 400-meter hurdles, with a time of 51.73 in 2014 and 50:36 in 2016. In between those two years, he rebounded from a broken ankle.

For his first year and a half as a student, Allen majored in civil engineering. He completed bachelor's degrees in psychology and kinesiology. After graduating, he stayed in Pullman, trained and studied chiropractics. Last year, Allen completed his doctorate degree in chiropractics and a master's degree in sports health science with Life University Chiropractic in Atlanta.

Allen typically trains twice a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He competes in six or seven races a year on the Diamond League circuit, where competitors collect points. Last week, he competed in Monaco.

Allen said that while he's running, he becomes more aware of his competition. "You kind of sense and feel where people are ... the last 150 is usually a dogfight at the end. You get a sense of who's finishing strong."

Allen's parents were in Eugene for the qualifying race.

"It was very emotional, as you can imagine," Amy said. "The day started out with breakfast. There wasn't a lot of eating going on."

Allen's meet was the last race of the day. "Our hearts were just pounding, especially mine because I feel like I'm out there with him," his mother said.

Allen's parents' seats were about 50 meters from the finishing line. He appeared to be in second place as he passed, but they couldn't see the finish, Amy said.

Amy said C.J.'s father yelled, "He made it! He made it! He got bronze!" The two then watched as the scoreboard changed Allen's finish from third to second, for the silver. Amy said that when she hugged her son, she could feel a great weight lifted from his body.

Allen has already had success competing in the City of Lights. In June 2023, he placed second with a time of 47.92 at the Meeting de Paris, State Charlety.

Allen points out the Olympics competition features the 400-meter hurdlers ranked first, second, third, fifth and seventh – himself.

"You have the best people in the world running at the same time," Allen said. He adds, "It's a great time to be a hurdler."

Allen will stay in the Olympic Village, where he'll know some of his teammates from competition on the Diamond League circuit. On the mornings of races, Allen opts for protein: eggs, bacon, avocados.

In Paris, his parents will be cheering from the stands. His former coach will be watching it on TV. "And I'll be running every step with him along the way," Bevers said.