Springfield resident Kristen Allan was named one of the eight athletes, which are eligible to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo, June 13-14 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nev., according to a May 1 press release.
USA Judo announced its top eight athletes in each of 14 Olympic weight divisions based on their rankings on the USA Judo Senior Elite National Roster at the conclusion of the 2008 USA Judo Senior National Championships, April 11-12 in Virginia Beach, Va.
The Judo Team Trials will be held simultaneously with the Trials for USA Wrestling. Athletes will be competing among 14 weight divisions in judo and 18 in Olympic wrestling weight classes in the three Olympic styles (men’s freestyle, men’s Greco-Roman, women’s freestyle).
Allan trains at Sport Judo, a nationally-known judo club located in Alexandria, where her father, former Olympian and seventh degree judo black belt Maurice Allan is the head instructor.
In her 63-kilogram weight class, Kristen Allan is ranked seventh. Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif.) is currently the top-ranked female, with Kayla Harrison (Wakefield, Mass.), Janine Nakao (San Jose, Calif.), Paola Genao-Butler (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Ashlie Martini (Chicago, Ill.), and Hannah Martin (Glenville, N.Y.) also above her. Christal Ransom (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is seeded eighth.
Athletes have until May 16 to accept or decline their invitation to Trials as well as to declare which weight they will compete in if they have qualified in multiple divisions. If an athlete declines his or her spot, the opportunity to compete will be offered to the next highest ranked athlete on the roster.