The Sport May Be Called Hurdling, but Precision Is the Real Name of the Game!
by Melinda Burris
To put the information referenced in the title of this article into proper context, consider this: The official record of the final 110-meter hurdles race of the 2022 prestigious World Championship competition ended not with a bang, but rather, it concluded with a literal whimper, so much so, that the ultra-quick action could not be seen with the naked eye!1 Still, the damage was done.
The official record of the hurdles competition from which Devon Allen was subsequently disqualified shows that his “reaction time was measured at 0.099 seconds….at the time he was accused of making a “false start.”2
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The Associated Press (AP) article referenced above further acknowledges that it is thanks both to his natural abilities and a certain humility that Allen was able to accept the opportunities and guidance he received from the many who offered him help in training and sought to nurture the raw talent he and other young athletes possessed so abundantly.2 He recognized his skills needed to be developed by those with astute knowledge and an appreciation for the mechanics and proper techniques hurdling requires.
The result was a mutually beneficial investment of time, energy, and other resources that manifested itself in long hours of hard work with dedicated mentors who made a commitment to help these young people realize their full potential.
Controversy Over False Starts
Additional research indicates false starts such as the one Allen experienced are quite common. Not surprisingly, coaches and refs have been arguing for some time that more leniency ought to be allowed in such circumstances when a hurdler does not actually start the race and the increment of time that has passed is so brief 1,2— as it was in Allen’s case!
For his part, sportswriter Doug Robinson maintains the false start rule is unfair and is taking good runners out of competition, basically penalizing them for being “too quick.”3 Robinson makes a convincing argument that “basing a false start on reaction time is problematic” and that it is hurting the sport when it is desperately trying to find a TV and on-air audience.3 Noting that track and field has a long history of debate and policy changes surrounding false starts, Robinson contends Allen’s disqualification for reaction time that neither the human eye nor cameras could see is proof that the rules regarding false starts need to change for the good of the sport.3
For Allen, the way this mete, the last of his track career, unfolded was particularly poignant. This World Championship was held at his alma mater, the University of Oregon, on his home track, Hayward Field. This was in many ways a homecoming for Allen, but instead of ending in his winning the World Championship and concluding his track career on a high note, it ended all too abruptly, before the 110-meter hurdles race officially began.
Asked for his thoughts on what had transpired Allen responded: “It’s frustrating. Track and field is [sic] so difficult because you train the whole year for one competition and it lasts 12 seconds, 13 seconds, and that’s that. And it’s kind of like your identity is based on that one competition and it’s frustrating, but it happens, and I’ll learn from it and make sure I don’t react as fast next time.”
Allen had already been signed to play professional football with the Philadelphia Eagles, so this was his last chance to win a World Championship gold medal and it had been lost in less than a second — in a moment too quick for the human eye to capture.
Devon Allen is by any objective measure, a prime example of a fit, extremely agile athlete. This mete had been eagerly anticipated by Devon, his fans, the collegiate sports community, and the media as a rare chance to formally mark and celebrate the end of a distinguished college athletic career and a moment to celebrate the transition to professional football and the assumption of demands for team building exercises and a commitment to work for the good of the team rather than prioritizing your individual stats!1
So, what went wrong at the World Athletics Championships this past July for Devon Allen?
He certainly wasn’t “off his game” as many commentators and members of the public were all too quick to assume. Playbacks of timed recordings of his start out of the box reveal his reaction time was on target — clocking in at an amazing 0.099 seconds!1,2 That’s one-thousandth of a second too quickly.
With reflexes that razor-sharp, understandably, this leaves trainers and coaches between the proverbial rock and a hard place!
The questions they are increasingly faced with are: 1. Do I train my athletes to the brink of their power, allowing them to truly know that win, lose, or draw, they have left all they have on the track? (or) 2. Is it better to caution restraint, to avoid the prospect of being removed from competition altogether rather than run any risk of jeopardizing a hard-fought-for and well-earned win?
Allen Was a Contender for Olympic Gold
Allen has been a contender for international medals on many occasions including last year when he was a legitimate threat to take an Olympic gold medal. When last year’s Olympic champion Hansle Parchment of Jamaica scratched due to a hamstring injury, Allen headed into competition with the fastest time in the world — 12.84, making the twenty-six-year-old the third fastest hurdler of all time.2
Unfortunately, Allen has repeatedly been frustrated when competing on an international level. Although he has made two Olympic teams and competed at three World Championships, he has never placed in the top three of an international championship competition. His highest placements have been 5th in the 2016 Olympics and 4th in the 2020 Olympics.2
References:
- Sutelan, E. (18 July 2022). Why Eagles WR Devon Allen Was Disqualified from 110-meter Hurdles Final at World Athletics Championships.
- NBC Sports Philadelphia. (18 July 2022). Devon Allen Opens Up About Controversial Hurdle (DQ).
- Robinson, D. (18 July 2022). Why What Happened to Devon Allen Is the ‘kind of moment that alienates track fans.’
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