Philadelphia Eagles receiver Devon Allen runs third-fastest 110m hurdles in history
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New Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen came within four hundredths of a second of breaking the 110m hurdles world record ahead of his NFL switch.
The Philadelphia Eagles could have a genuine weapon on their hands with wide receiver Devon Allen - who has recently clocked the third-fastest 110m hurdles time in history.
Allen is a two-time Olympian who is turning his attentions back to NFL this season from athletics, but wants to go out with an almighty bang.
At the recent New York Grand Prix, Allen stopped the watch at 12.84 seconds for the 110m hurdles, that's just a whisker outside the world record.
Fellow American Aries Merritt is the current world record holder with a time of 12.80 - just four hundredths of a second quicker.
"I thought I could break the record today," Allen told NBC after his race.
Rookie Eagles receiver eyes world record
The 27-year-old Allen hasn't played American football since 2016 when he impressed in college with Oregon, but he now intends to return to the sport.
His express pace drew a lot of interest as he worked out in Oregon's Pro Day in April, and it was enough to convince the Philadelphia Eagles to sign him on a three-year deal.
Allen finished fifth in the 110m hurdles in Rio in 2016 and then fourth in last year's delayed Tokyo Olympics, but will not be trying again to get that elusive medal.
Instead, Allen will join the Eagles as a rookie in July and attempt to make it in the NFL when stepping away from the athletics track.
Firstly, Allen will have two more meetings on the track to try and attempt to break the world record, after coming so close in New York.
Eagles WR & Olympic track star Devon Allen says he’s fastest Eagle
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) June 10, 2022
Race with @bigplay24slay ?
“Me being a pro track athlete, I don’t race for free. I said, Alright, we’ll race. $10,000. Nobody took me me up on that!”
🎧Podcast with Devon on Birds🔽https://t.co/2DH3zYwmfw pic.twitter.com/WcbMZ4e63i
Allen will run in the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships later in June and the World Championships in July and feels that the world record is within his grasp.
"Clean up a few things, and four-hundredths of a second is four-thousandths of a second per hurdle, which is so small," said Allen.
"Going to have to wait for another race."
Raw pace is no guarantee of being a success in the NFL, but his speed will give the Eagles something to work with, and at the wide receiver position it can prove deadly.
If Allen can get his fundamentals right, then he'll be a big asset and have opposing defenders more than a little concerned at being blown away by this Olympian.