Except for one, barely noticeable, this would have been a perfect 10 for the U.S. athletics team.
As it ended, the Americans still won nine medals at home Sunday at the World Championships in what will be one of the most memorable days for the Reds, Whites and Blues in their long and successful history. According to organizers, it was the best individual medal day for a nation in the world.
Devon Allen’s false start prevented the United States from a possible sweep in the 110-meter hurdles final and what could have been the 10th medal of the day. He will now bring his talent to the NFL, where he will attempt to enter the Philadelphia Eagles roster. It was not how he wanted to end the worlds.
“Athletics is very difficult because you train all year round for a competition that lasts 12, 13 seconds and you’re done,” the 27-year-old said, training camp with the Eagles begins on July 26th. “I’ll learn from that and make sure I react not so fast next time.”
Allen’s disappointment barely ruined a day when the Star-Spangled Banner recording ran out. It started with the hammer throw, where Brooke Andersen won the gold and Janee ‘Kassanavoid won the bronze.
It was a warm-up event for the night session, where seven medals were accumulated over a 10-minute period.
The women’s pole vaulters led the race with Katie Nageotte and Sandi Morris finishing 1-2. Moments later, and after a delay when Allen unsuccessfully applied for his case to remain in the race, Grant Holloway defended his fence title, with Trey Cunningham close in second.
Almost at the same time, U.S. weightlifters finished on a podium with two-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser winning gold, Joe Kovacs winning silver and Josh Awotunde finishing bronze.
All of this came one evening after Fred Kerley, Marvin Bracy and Trayvon Bromell swept the men’s 100 meters. It made Crouser think about what was possible at his event.
“Probably my heart rate was 120, 130,” he said about watching the men’s 100m. “I probably shouldn’t have looked at him because I had trouble calming down. I had to make a mental note to take a deep breath and say, ‘I don’t have to compete right now.’ It’s amazing to see the U.S. team sweeping “.
With their big medal on Sunday, the Americans now have six golds and 14 medals in total. Next up are three medals each from Ethiopia, Poland, China and Jamaica, which swept the 100 women to close out the night.
“He says how amazing it is to be at home and at Hayward Field,” Nageotte said of the show presented by the Americans. “‘Hayward Magic’ is real … Just seeing how many people qualified for semis, and then for finals and then medals, look at it and it’s inspiring.”
Allen looked like a block to add to the medal race. But it went too fast according to the sensors. His reaction time was 0.099 in the final, which earned him a red card. It was only a fraction less than his reaction time in the semifinal round, which was 0.101. But rules are rules and a reaction time – measured by sensors in the output gun and blocks – of less than 0.1 is considered a false output.
“It’s track and field, anything can happen,” Holloway said. “He takes my hat off to Devon. I didn’t want to send him like that, but that’s what it is.”
Allen said this will make him more “famous” for success on the football field and on the court.
“My goal is to be the best obstacle course runner and I still have a chance to do that,” said Allen, who was a prominent track and football player at the University of Oregon. “My goal is to play in the NFL and help the Eagles win a Super Bowl.”