Former Oregon Ducks star Devon Allen earns a spot in the World Athletics Championships

Devon Allen qualified to compete at the World Athletics Championships later this summer – but only by the skin of his teeth.

Allen edged Jamal Britt by 0.003 seconds to finish third and grab the last automatic qualifying spot in the men’s 110-meter hurdles Sunday on the fourth and final day of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field.

Allen ran 13.087 to Britt’s 13.090.

Daniel Roberts won the race in 13.03 and Florida State senior Trey Cunningham was second in 13.08.

“It’s always great to get a ticket to the world championships,” Allen said after the race. “The hurdle event is so tough and so competitive. There’s 10 barriers in the way for a reason. I’m just blessed to be here and excited to be back in two weeks.”

Allen was a little slow out of the blocks in the final but he made up ground as the race went along and then leaned in as the top five runners all hit the tape within 0.11 seconds of each other.

Roberts’ and Cunningham’s times came up on the scoreboard right away, then there were a few anxious moments as the hurdlers waited to see who got the third and final qualifying spot.

“To be honest, yes and no,” Allen said when asked if he was nervous as the times flashed on the board. “When you’re in the race you can feel it, so I knew. I beat Jamal right next to me."

The men’s short hurdles has been incredibly competitive in recent years. Allen said he was just happy to punch his ticket to the world championships.

“Making the team is really tough,” he said. “In the U.S., especially in the last 5-6 years … it’s been like the greatest generation of hurdlers ever. It feels good to be a part of that, but on top of that it means it’s super competitive.”

Allen’s path to the final began with a 13.27 performance in the prelims on Saturday, which won his heat and was the third-fastest time of the day. He followed that up with a 13.14 in the semifinals Sunday.

“It was good. I took last week pretty light just because I’ve been racing a lot, so I wanted to be fresh here,” Allen said after his victory in the prelims. “That was actually one of the easier feeling races of my season, so it’s exciting. It means I’m ready to run fast."

Allen trusted that his pre-meet preparation would yield even better times on Sunday.

“We’ve been working on a few things in training and racing, and the biggest thing is being aggressive and staying clean,” he said. “If you can put those together, the time will come.”

Allen’s overall assessment of his weekend back in Eugene?

“The weather is great, you can’t beat it,” he said. “This is prime time track and field.”

Follow Zack Palmer on Twitter @zpalmer_11 or email at zpalmer@registerguard.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Devon Allen gets third at USA Track and Field Championships