Eagles rookie wide receiver Devon Allen won the 110-meter hurdles at the USA Track & Field New York Grand Prix on Sunday and posted the third-fastest time in the event ever recorded.
Allen finished with a time of 12.84, just four-hundredths of a second off the world record set by Aries Merritt in 2012. He beat Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Grant Holloway, who placed second with a time of 13.06.
"I thought I could break the record today," Allen told reporters after the race, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Clean up a few things, and four-hundredths of a second is four-thousandths of a second per hurdle, which is so small. Going to have to wait for another race.”
Allen, a two-time Olympian, finished fourth last year in Tokyo and fifth in at the 2016 Olympics in the 110-meter hurdles.
A former Oregon wideout, the 27-year-old Allen signed a three-year contract with the Eagles in April despite having not played organized football since 2016. However, he turned heads at Oregon’s 2022 pro day in April when he ran an unofficial 4.35-second 40-yard dash.
In 23 games with the Ducks, he caught 54 passes for 919 yards and eight touchdowns.
While football awaits him later this summer, hurdling remains Allen’s priority for the time being. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia, Allen said he plans to race twice in Europe over the next couple of weeks before returning for the USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships later this month and then and the World Championships in July.
