Philadelphia Eagles rookie wide receiver Devon Allen won the 110m hurdles at the USATF NYC Grand Prix on Sunday, completing 12.84 times – the third-fastest time in history.
It was just 400th of a second, the second of a world record (12.80) set by Aries Merritt in the 2012 Diamond League event in Brussels, Belgium.
“I thought I could break the record today,” Allen told reporters after the race, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Clear some things, and four hundredths of a second per obstacle is four thousandths of a second, which is very small. We’ll have to wait for the second race. “
Grant Holloway, the silver medalist in the 110-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics, finished second behind Allen with a time of 13.06 on Sunday. Holloway recorded the second-fastest time at 12.81, which he reached in the semifinals of last year’s Olympic track and field trials.
Allen finished fifth in the 110m hurdles last year (13.21) and fifth in the last two Olympics in 2016 (13.31).
Alan, 27, a former Oregon receiver, signed a three-year deal with the Eagles in April. He has not played football since 2016 when he was with the Ducks. Allen caught the scouts’ attention in Pro Oregon in April when he ran a 4.35-second 40-yard unofficial dash.
He told reporters at Pro Day in Oregon that he plans to participate in the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships later this month and the World Athletics Championships in July before turning his attention to football.
ESPN’s Tim McManus contributed to this report.
