The two-time Olympian finished fourth in Tokyo but seized a golden opportunity to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in April as a wide receiver, returning to a sport he last played in 2016 during his senior years. academics at Oregon.
While a career that combines a top track with stunning football might seem risky to some, Allen shows no signs of fatigue so far.
He produced the third-fastest performance ever in the 110-metre hurdles to beat world champion Grant Holloway in 12.84 seconds on Sunday at the New York Grand Prix, despite a grueling schedule.
“The most important thing for me when it comes to football is that I’m fast enough and strong enough as an athlete, I just have to start doing football stuff, running routes, catching balls football,” said the 27-year-old.
He has four days of organized team activities with the Eagles – Monday through Thursday – and trains on the track on his “free days” – Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“It made me more relaxed and kind of focused me on what I’m doing… football and track, trying to balance the two, I had to be very careful about my recovery, my sleep, my food, just like that,” he said.
With the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships later this month and the World Championships in July, he plans to scale back his soccer schedule — with his team’s full support.
“I don’t want to do it halfway and then July 17 comes around and I’m upset and I’m just like ‘I should have just focused on football’,” he said. “And vice versa.”
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