Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf has plenty to keep him busy this offseason as he looks to build on a breakout 2020 campaign. Metcalf finished the season with 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and ten touchdowns, and earned a second-team All Pro and Pro Bowl nod. Now, he’d like to add Olympic athlete to his list of honors.
Metcalf is going to be competing this weekend at the USA Track & Field Golden Games in Walnut, California, with a spot in the US Olympic Trials on the line. Metcalf tweeted a teaser about it on Monday, and USATF quote-tweeted confirmation of the news. He last competed in track & field as a sprinter and hurdler in high school.
If you’re wondering where this all came from, look back to October 25 last year. In a Sunday Night Football contest between the Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals, Cardinals safety Budda Baker picked off Russell Wilson on a goal to go play and took off for the Cardinals end zone. He had a clear path to a pick-six, only to have Metcalf track him down from behind and get the touchdown saving tackle at the Seahawks 8-yard line.
Metcalf picked up steam from behind and over the course of 108.8 yards of distance reached a top speed of 22.64 mph in chasing down Baker. NBC Sports noted if Metcalf had run 22.64 mph for an entire 100 meters, it would take 9.88 seconds. Considering Metcalf would be starting from a block start, that is impossible. However, clearly he has some serious speed that would only improve with not having to wear a helmet and pads.
The Golden Games is an event for people looking to qualify for the Olympic Trials. If someone runs a 10.05 or better in the 100 meter dash, they automatically qualify for the Trials. In 2016, a 10.16 earned a place at the Trials. The Trials are in June, with the Summer Games getting underway in Tokyo in late July.
The preliminary round of the men’s 100 meters is on July 31. The Seahawks will be in training camp by that point, so on the off chance Metcalf does qualify for the Olympic Trials and then qualifies for the US Olympic team, this will be something to track.