Hurdler Devon Allen wasn’t told of father’s death before qualifying for World Championships

Devon Allen’s father would have been so proud to see his son’s name atop the 110-meter hurdles entry list released Friday for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.

That’s why the two-time Olympian was not told that Louis Allen Jr. died in Phoenix, Arizona, the weekend his son was racing in Eugene, Oregon, for a spot on Team USA.

Allen’s family feared a heavy heart might slow him down.

Bernadette Allen, Devon’s stepmother, confirmed her husband’s death at age 63 to an Arizona newspaper, but asked that the news be held until the conclusion of the U.S. Championships.

Racing in the final, however, Allen may have had an angel on his shoulder. He made the team by the slimmest of margins in a photo finish, with third place determined by three-thousandths of a second. Allen clocked 13.087 seconds to Jamal Britt’s personal best of 13.090.

Bernadette Allen told the Arizona Republic that Louis “was not feeling well the last few weeks, but kept it from his son to not distract him while he was getting ready to qualify” for worlds.

“He was not that ill so this happening was a shock to all of us,” Bernadette added.

Louis had traveled to Rio in 2016 to watch his son compete, along with Allen’s mother, Joey Lyn Knudson, and twin sister Carissa. Allen placed fifth in Rio and was fourth at the Tokyo Olympics.

The former Oregon wide receiver signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and his father was looking forward to seeing him play football.

Two weeks before the U.S. Championships, Allen, 27, ran the third-fastest time in history, 12.84 seconds, at the USATF New York Grand Prix.

Bernadette posted video of the race on Facebook and wrote, “Poppa Louis Allen Jr in the background with the smash clap. We went crazy after that. LOL”

A memorial service for Louis Allen Jr. has been scheduled for July 20 in Phoenix, a date that won’t interfere with Allen’s career. The 110-meter hurdles at Worlds be contested July 16 and 17.

It’s not unusual for families to keep athletes in the dark about the death of a loved one or another traumatic event before a major competition.

Chinese diver Wu Minxia had just won her third straight Olympic gold medal in the 3-meter springboard at the 2012 London Games when her family finally revealed secrets they had been keeping for years.

Wu’s parents did not tell her of the death of her grandparents or of her mother’s long battle with breast cancer — she was then in remission — so the diver could concentrate on her career.

“It was essential to tell this white lie,” said her father Wu Yuming.

That decision, however, generated backlash in China about such a win-at-all-costs mentality.

“We accepted a long time ago that she doesn’t belong entirely to us,” her father told the Shanghai Morning Post. “I don’t even dare to think about things like enjoying family happiness.”

Wu also won a gold medal in 3 meter synchro in London and added another gold in the event in Rio to finish her career with five golds, a silver and a bronze.

The grief athletes experience is compounded by the media spotlight.

Tragedy defined speed skater Dan Jansen’s performance at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympic Games. The favorite in the 500 and 1,000-meter races, Jansen was told that his beloved sister Jane had passed away from leukemia on the morning of the 500.

Devastated by the news but determined to compete, Jansen fell on his first turn. The world watched as he sat on the ice in anguish. Four days later, Jansen fell again in the 1,000. In Albertville in 1992, Jansen just missed an Olympic medal, finishing fourth. He finally won his Olympic gold in 1994 and took a victory lap carrying his young daughter named Jane.

Pro football player Brett Favre also decided to compete in response to tragic news. The day before a Monday Night Football game in 2003, he found out his father Irv had died suddenly. Favre threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Green Bay Packers to victory over Oakland.

Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette lost her mother three days before she competed in shot program at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Therese had suffered a massive heart attack soon after arriving in Vancouver.

Rochette skated her program, dissolving into tears as the crowd gave her a standing ovation. She went on to win the bronze medal.

Last summer, sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson dominated the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic Trials and became a media sensation. However, Richardson tested positive for cannabis. She explained that she used the drug due to the shock of finding out her biological mother had died. Richardson was suspended for a month, which cost her a chance to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.