DK Metcalf turned heads when he decided to participate in the 100m dash in the Golden Games. However, Metcalf did bring a lot of attention to the sport.
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Track & field is largely an afterthought in most households, save for the 10-15 seconds of it we see during the Olympics. However, with Metcalf running the 100 meter dash may have brought in viewers who wouldn’t watch the Golden Games otherwise.
Shannon Sharpe was impressed by Metcalf’s performance and acknowledged this notion on “The Undisputed” with Skip Bayless.
.@ShannonSharpe on DK Metcalf running a 10.37 100-meter dash:
“I was thinking he’d run close to a 10.7 considering his size and lack of technique. To run a 10.37 is to be respected. He brought a lot of eyeballs to Track & Field.” pic.twitter.com/0QxNQHuC22
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 10, 2021
To sprint in such an event, it takes years of preparation and hard work to build yourself up the right way. Metcalf only had a few months of that, and yet he still put in a respectable time for his body-frame.
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DK Metcalf Runs A 10.37 In 100 Meter Dash Against USATF Athletes
You may have thought DK Metcalf was fast after watching his chase-down tackle of Budda Baker, and you wouldn’t have been wrong. He IS fast. However, there’s a difference between being NFL fast and track & field fast.
Metcalf found this out during his run on Sunday. His time of 10.37 ranked 15th out of 17 qualifying runners, and he was well off the 10.05 time he’d need to qualify for the next round, if he really wanted to make the Olympics.
Track athletes laughed as DK Metcalf prepped to take part in this event. Nobody believed he stood a chance, and why would they (“They Will Destroy Him” US Track Stars Bash D.K. Metcalf As Seahawks WR Preps For 100 Meter Dash)?
After all, he’s an NFL player, not a sprinter. His body is also massive as he stands at 6’4″ and 220+ pounds of muscle mass. However, Metcalf far surpassed expectations. For someone who wasn’t polished in the sport or trained in at all, 10.37 is a very respectable time, and several NFL players complimented him after his sprint.
And as expected, he did bring in a lot of viewership and attention to the event. Everyone wanted to see Metcalf run, and as a result they also tuned in to watch the other world class athletes go at it head-to-head. In Metcalf’s words:
“To test my speed up against world class athletes like this… Like I said, just having the opportunity to run against these guys was just a blessing. I just do things because I want to do it…These are world-class athletes. It’s very different from football speed, as I just realized.”
“To test my speed up against world class athletes like this… Like I said, just having the opportunity to run against these guys was just a blessing.”@Seahawks wide receiver @dkm14 on the opportunity to race against elite track & field athletes.@usatf // #JourneyToGold pic.twitter.com/Ob1Zr8g34s
— #TokyoOlympics (@NBCOlympics) May 9, 2021