Though obviously upset, Allen calmly discussed the situation with the officials and promptly left the track when he realized the decision was final. “I can’t really dwell on it too much now that it’s happened, but in the future it’s good to know,” he says. “Maybe I was putting pressure more quickly, I don’t know. Now we’re getting real nit-picky on what’s a false start. … Other than that, I’m glad I was able to compete, and to compete in Eugene.”

Allen then returned to Philadelphia for training camp. Though he had one spectacular 55-yard touchdown reception in a preseason game against the Browns, his time away from the sport — he last played for Oregon in 2016 —meant he wasn’t quite ready for the final roster. But the team liked his potential and signed him to the practice squad. (At Oregon, Allen had 54 receptions for 919 yards and eight touchdowns over 29 games.)

He has made the most of the opportunity. “Obviously I have the speed on the field, so the really the biggest thing for me was changing direction and getting in and out of my breaks and stopping, running full speed and stopping so I could get open,” Allen says of his NFL crash course. “And then the second biggest thing is just understanding the game of football again, in being able to read defenses and concepts on offense, and understanding why we’re doing a play and what the play is designed for and helping to get open as a receiver.”

The Eagles’ outstanding season meant that Allen was exposed to the keys to success in the league. “I get a lot of great work, get a lot of reps against one of the best defenses in the NFL, so I can’t really complain too much about the opportunity to get better there,” he says. The team has had relatively few injuries, which meant the opportunity for Allen to jump into the roster never materialized.

Allen isn’t sure when he might run his first race of the year, but he’s continued to fit hurdle training in whenever possible. “Obviously, the training is different because I’m doing football and it’s no exactly how I’d be training in January of a normal year, but I’m in pretty good shape,” he says. “I’m stronger than I was four months ago because I’m focused on my strength building. Hopefully I’ll have a good ramp into the season.”

Already one of the most consistent hurdlers in the world, Allen made the final at both the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and represented the U.S. at the past three world championships. Last season may have been his finest. In addition to moving up the all-time list with his 12.84 clocking, he won a pair of Diamond League races and currently sits fifth in the World Athletics rankings in his event.

He's always closed fast over the final five hurdles, so he worked on retooling his start in 2022. He adjusted his approach to the first barrier, switching from eight steps to seven. “That’s what put me over the edge, in terms of being more consistent at the start of the race,” Allen says. “In past seasons, I was pretty much peaking for the right time, but it would take me a while to get into the rhythm. Last season I got into the rhythm a little bit earlier, so I was able to practice that more often.”

Now, he has his eyes on the world record of 12.80, set by Aries Merritt of the U.S. in 2012. “My technique is going to continue to improve,” Allen says. “If I can somehow put together a start similar to Grant Holloway’s, there’s no doubt I can run 12.60. I had a lot of good starts last year, but it’s about being consistent.”

Something else of Holloway’s that he’d like is a global title. The August dates for the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest might interfere with his NFL commitments, but he’s determined to fit it all in. “My goal is to win every race that I run in,” Allen says. “And then when that happens and you keep winning, you end up being world champ.”

ALANCING FOOTBALL AND TRACK, DEVON ALLEN TAKES AIM AT THE 110 HURDLES WORLD RECORD

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