Olympian: 'I felt I had given my all'

Allyn native C.J. Allen's quest for an Olympic medal in the 400-meter hurdles came up a fraction of a second short, but he hasn't ruled out a run for the 2028 games.

On Aug. 7, Allen finished fourth in his heat in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games in Paris with a time of 48.44. He failed to advance to the finals two days later.

The North Mason High School graduate returned home to Atlanta Aug. 12. He talked to the Journal about his experience at the games and what lies ahead.

"You go out and give it your best effort and sometimes it isn't in the cards," said Allen, 29.

Allen advanced to the semifinals by placing second in his heat with a time of 48.64 on Aug. 5.

The former Washington State University track star qualified for the Olympics on 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. He was ranked seventh in the world.

Both physically and mentally, "I felt like I completed everything in my race plan well," Allen said of the semifinals.

"I put it all out there on the track .... Sometimes your body doesn't fully have it in you," he said.

Nevertheless, "I'm a veteran in this sport ... I'll pick myself up," Allen added.

"I think I was disappointed, but at the end of the day I felt I had given my all."

While it was happening on the world stage, "I was appreciative of being in the moment and soaking it in," Allen said.

Allen, his parents, his brother and his girlfriend, Ashley Dean, were in the stands to watch fellow U.S. 440-meter hurdler Rai Benjamin win the gold medal with a time of 46.46.

Allen said he will continue to race for at least a year on the Diamond League circuit and has competitions in Berlin and Switzerland next month. The world championships are next year, he said.

Allen recently finished his doctorate degree in chiropractics and is working to launch his practice in Atlanta. If he qualifies for the Olympics in 2028, he'll be 33 years old.

"A lot of factors" will determine if he seeks gold again, Allen said.

"If I can continue to run my business,

I don't see why I can't be there in four years."