Charles Allen heads to his second Olympics but his first wearing the Maple Leaf. Allen went to Sydney in 2000 with his native Guyana, for which he holds the 110-metre hurdles national record. He qualified for the Canadian team as part of the 4X100 relay pool in July at the Olympic trials and was named the relay team captain.
Last year at the world championships, he dug deep to qualify for the semifinals in the men's 110-hurdles Allen ran despite re-injuring his back in the warm-up. He didn't meet the Olympic qualifying standards in the hurdles.
Allen was a five-time All-American in the 4X100 and 4X400 relays. He was a member of Clemson University's all time fastest 4X100 team which posted a 38.92 clocking at the 1997 NCAA championships. In high school, he won a Canadian senior title in the 400. In 1996, he competed at the Canadian Olympic trials.
