The track and field portion of the Rio De Janeiro Olympics kick off Friday morning, and the U.S. team is filled with athletes who carry University of Oregon ties.
In total, 18 current and former Ducks qualified for Rio, with 11 earning a spot on the American team at the U.S. Olympic Trials in July. Oregon qualified nearly twice as many athletes for the U.S. team as any other school — Arkansas, Texas and Florida all qualified six — and there are more Duck Olympians this year than there were in 2004, 2008 and 2012 combined.
But which of them have the best chance of bringing home a medal in Rio? In 2012, Ashton Eaton and Galen Rupp became the first UO affiliated track and field athletes to medal since 1984. Eaton won gold in the decathlon and Rupp won silver in the 10,000 meter run.
Both Eaton and Rupp will be in medal contention once again, along with a handful of others. Here the Oregon athletes who are near the top of the season form charts in their respective events.
Devon Allen — 110 meter hurdles
Allen delivered the signature moment of the U.S. trials when he won his second U.S. title in the high hurdles and did so on his home track. Just 19 months after he suffered a devastating knee injury during the 2015 Rose Bowl Game, Allen has returned to dominant form on the track and became the first active Duck to qualify for the Olympics since 2008. His winning time of 13.03 seconds at the Trials was the second-best in the world this year behind Omar McLeod of Jamacia (12.98). McLeod has run five of the 10 fastest times in the world this year, but Allen is peaking at the right time; his most recent performance was a personal-best.
Ashton Eaton — Decathlon
The 2012 Olympic champion and world record holder is still the man to beat in the competition that decides ‘the worlds greatest athlete.’ Even at 28 years old, Eaton is still the undisputed champ. Although this will be his last summer working with longtime coach Harry Mara, there is no reason to believe that Eaton will surrender his title. He battled a quad injury to score 8,750 at the U.S. Olympic Trials; 145 points better than any other athlete this year.
English Gardner — 100 meter dash
One of the top sprinters in UO history, Gardener won five NCAA titles in two years as a Duck and has continued to build her career as a professional competing for Nike. Gardner ran the second-fastest time in the world and the seventh-fastest time in history when she won the U.S. Olympic Trials with a time of 10.74 seconds on July 3. Gardner’s times have steadily improved this year — she ran a 10.81 to win the Prefontaine Classic on May 28, and built on that with her performance at the trials. In Rio, Gardner will attempt to become the first U.S. gold medalist in the women’s 100 since 1996.
Galen Rupp — 10,000 meter, marathon
Marathons are a tricky thing to predict, and trying to guess how Rupp will fare in his Olympic marathon debut is even more difficult. A 14-time NCAA All-American while at Oregon, Rupp ran the first and only 26.2 miler of his career at the U.S. Olympic marathon trials in February. He won that race easily, finishing in two hours, 11 minutes and 12 seconds despite running in temperatures that reached 78 degrees. It was an impressive debut effort for a runner who is already one of the top Americans ever at 5,000 and 10,000 meters and is looking for a fresh challenge. He will have his work cut out for him in Rio, though; Rupp’s time from the U.S. trials wasn’t among the 25 fastest in the world this year. Rupp hasn’t run a 10,000 meter time that is anywhere near the fastest in the world this year, either, but he proved in 2012 that he is capable of out-kicking the world’s best.
Matthew Centrowitz — 1,500 meter
Centrowitz experienced and up-and-down outdoor campaign during the spring. He ultimately shrugged off questions about his form by winning the U.S. Olympic Trials in convincing fashion with a time of 3:34.09 to earn his fourth U.S. title in six years. His time at the trials was his fastest of the season, but just the 19th fastest in the world. However, Centrowitz has delivered podium performances on the world stage in the past and he owns the fastest mile time in the world this year (3:50.61). One of the most exuberant figures in the sport will be hungry to top his fourth place finish at the 2012 London games.
Follow Jarrid Denney on Twitter @jarrid_denney