Thomas Allen competed in the double trap shooting event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games at the Wolf Creek Shooting Complex, finishing 25th with a score of 116.

Allen’s selection introduced Irish trap shooters to Olympic competition for the first time since 1980. From Newtownstewart in Co. Tyrone, Allen travelled to Atlanta with a formidable international record. At the 1995 European Championships in trap shooting, he scored an outstanding 123 out of a possible 125 and qualified for the six-man shoot-off final, where he finished 6th.

He captained the Ireland team that won the home international championships and was also a member of the team that finished 6th at the World Championships.