Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen scorched to the third fastest 110m hurdles time in history on Sunday with an upset victory over world champion Grant Holloway at the USATF New York Grand Prix.
The 27-year-old Allen, who signed with the Eagles in April after a successful career in college gridiron, produced a flawless race to surge home in a world-leading time of 12.84sec at New York’s Icahn Stadium.
Holloway, the 2019 World Championships gold medallist, was second in 13.06 with Daniel Roberts third in 13.17.
Allen’s performance was made all the more remarkable given that he has recently been juggling both track and field commitments with off-season training with his Philadelphia Eagles team-mates.
Allen said he had thought a fast time was on the cards after recent results in training. Only two men – Holloway (12.81) and world record holder Aries Merritt (12.80) – have gone faster over the distance.