Devon Allen hopes to be a wide receiver for the Eagles this year. But Sunday reminded him that he is also a talented track athlete.
On Sunday, Allen ran the 110-meter hurdles in 12.84 seconds at the New York Grand Prix. It was enough to win the race. It was also the fastest time ever recorded in this event. Aries Merritt broke the world record by setting 12.80 seconds in 2012.
Allen’s track record includes trips to the Olympics in 2016 and 2017 as a member the United States team. He was fifth in Rio 2016 and fourth in Tokyo in last summer.
He played football at Oregon, and signed with the Eagles on April 2.
“When I’m doing so much — like football and track, trying to balance them both — I need to be really conscious of my recovery, my sleep, my diet, everything like that,” Allen said, via Reuben Frank of NBCSportsPhiladelphia.com. It had me locked down a bit more, and it’s clearly working out.”
Allen will race in Europe prior to the U.S. Championships, which are scheduled for June 23-26, and the World Championships on the July 15-24. To continue his quest for an NFL spot, he’ll report to the Eagles camp.
