Seahawks' DK Metcalf to Compete in Track and Field Event in Attempt to Make Olympics Qualifier

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DK Metcalf is making a run for the Tokyo Summer Olympics — literally.

Metcalf, a wide receiver for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks, will race in the 100-meter dash at USA Track & Field's (USTAF) Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, California, on Sunday, according to the association in hopes of qualifying for the Olympic trials.

In the fall, USTAF teased on Twitter that the pro athlete, 23, was welcome to vie for a relay spot to rep Team USA at the Games. Metcalf apparently caught the association's attention after chasing down Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker at a top speed of 22.64 mph during an Oct. 25 game, the Missouri Clarion Ledger reports.

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Recently speaking to Yahoo Sports, a USTAF official said that Metcalf's agent reached out soon after to say his client was serious about sprinting.

"DK's agent told us that he really wants to try to make the Olympics and asked what steps he needs to take," said Adam Schmenk, managing director of events and entertainment for the track association. "We walked him through what the auto qualifying time was that he would have to run in a sanctioned USATF event and told him that we would help him find a lane if and when he wanted to do this."

To qualify automatically for the Olympic Trials, Metcalf must run the 100-meter dash in 10.05 seconds or quicker with a legal tailwind of no more than two meters per second, per Yahoo. World Athletics reports that eight American men have already clocked that time during the 2021 outdoor season. Metcalf will be one of 16 sprinters competing in the dash on Sunday, with 24 spots open to compete in the Olympic Trials in June, the Ledger reports.

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The goal is a new challenge for the former Ole Miss wide receiver, known today as one of the fastest players in the NFL. Though Metcalf hasn't run track since high school, he's hinted that his eyes are locked on the prize.

On Monday, the Seahawks star tweeted footage of himself dropping cleats on a track with the text "May 9," the date of the make or break USTAF event.