Flashback Friday: Damira Allen Scores Distance Triple At AAU

* Damira Allen wins the 9yo AAU Junior Olympics 800m at the 2017 event in a new record mark of 2:26.31.

Damira Allen may currently be one of the top young hurdlers in all of Pennsylvania.

But before the Chester (PA) talent was earning podium finishes as a freshman in the indoor 60mH and outdoor 100mH at the PIAA State Championships, Allen had already earned a legendary reputation in another event area on the track.

During her youth AAU competition days, Allen evolved into an all-timer in the distance events.

With countless age group national records to her name, Allen dominated the AAU Junior Olympics beginning at 8 years old. And at the 2017 event in particular, Allen showed why she was a triple threat at the 400m, 800m and 1,500m.

Not only did the Chester Cheetahs star win all three of those events for the girls 9yo age group, but she even notched an AAU Junior Olympic Games national record in the 800m of 2:26.36.

That surpassed the previous record by a full second.

Her 400m title would come with a mark of 1:04.38 and would clock a season best 5:08.17 to win the 1,500m.

Three titles and efforts that would beat even some high schoolers, all at 9 years old.

Allen would complete the 400m-800m-1,500m triple in winning fashion in 2016 as an 8-year-old and in 2017 and still holds age group records in the 800m and 1,500m. She also earned gold in the 1,500m for the 11yo 1,500m in 2019 and in the 800m at the 2020 AAU Junior Olympics as a 12-year-old.

Beginning in 2021, Allen began making the switch to hurdling and sprinting, slowly shifting away from the 800m and 1,500m as two of her specialty events. But that move paid off for Allen as she would go on to earn second in the 14yo 200mH at the Junior Olympics last year and clock bests of 9.03 for 60mH, 14.27 at the 100mH and 43.57 for 300mH as a ninth-grader this past competition year.