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The Philadelphia Eagles signed Devon Allen as an undrafted free agent in April, and while he’s a long shot to make the team — he hasn’t played football since 2016, after all — nobody will be doubting his speed.
On Sunday, the two-sport hopeful ran the 100-meter hurdles in 12.84 seconds, the third-fastest time in the history of the event.
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THE THIRD FASTEST TIME EVER! @ DevonAllen13 of the @Eagles wins the men’s 110m hurdles! @SNFonNBC
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The world record is 12.80 seconds, set by United States runner Aries Merritt at the Van Damme Memorial in 2012.
“I thought I could break the record today,” he told reporters. “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’s time would have earned him the gold medal at every Olympics in history up to this point. Whether it helps him earn a roster spot with the Eagles remains to be seen.
“It’s been there,” he said of his fitness. “We’ve been doing it in training for the last six weeks. Just needed some fresh legs after OTAs in football. Had some fun with the boys playing football, now back running fast.”
Allen hasn’t played football since 2016 for the Oregon Ducks. He’s never played an NFL game. But if the football thing doesn’t work out, it sure looks like he’ll be set on the track.