One of the fastest wide receivers in the NFL is attempting to compete as a sprinter in the Olympics

• Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is taking a shot at the Olympics.
• Metcalf is set to run the 100m at an event that could qualify him for the Olympic trials.
• A brilliant play from the 2020 NFL season shows why Metcalf believes he has the speed to compete.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is ready to take his speed to the Olympics.

On Sunday, Metcalf will test his running skills against some of the fastest men in the country, competing in the 100-meter dash at the United States Track and Field Golden Games and Distance Open. Should he perform well enough, Metcalf could earn an invite to the Olympic trials.

Metcalf's journey from superstar wideout to Olympic hopeful started as a kindhearted joke from the USA Track & Field Twitter account, after Metcalf made the most impressive play of the 2021 NFL season.

After Cardinals safety Budda Baker intercepted a pass from Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in an October game, Metcalf chased Baker 90 yards down the field to prevent a touchdown. He showed incredible speed in the process.

The play became the talk of the sporting world, with even Baker giving his opponent props.

As the clip went viral, USATF stepped in with an invitation:

Metcalf didn't consider it a joke. Days after the tweet was posted, Metcalf's agent reached out to Adam Schmenk, a managing director with USATF, to say that his player was serious about the challenge.

"DK's agent told us that he really wants to try to make the Olympics and asked what steps he needs to take," Schmenk told Yahoo Sports. "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."

On Sunday, Metcalf will have his lane - and a chance to qualify for the Tokyo Games this summer. Metcalf teased the race in a video posted to Twitter.

Although Metcalf is one of the fastest players in the NFL, his bid for the Olympics is still a longshot, since he'll compete against athletes that dedicate themselves full-time to the track.

According to NBC Sports, it will likely take a time of roughly 10.2 seconds to qualify for the Olympic trials. A 10.05 would automatically get Metcalf through to the next round of competition.

That's a big ask of any athlete, let alone one who hasn't competed in a true track event since his high school days. But given the speed Metcalf showed in his chase-down of Baker, anything is possible. In that play, Metcalf reached a top speed of nearly 23 miles per hour, which breaks down to a 9.88-second 100m dash.

Of course, Metcalf wouldn't immediately be at top speed straight out of the starting blocks.

Regardless of how he performs in the race, Metcalf's entrance is a win for USA Track and Field, since the NFL star will bring interest to Sunday's event. Even if he fails to qualify, Metcalf will still help introduce some top starts from USA Track and Field to many sports fans. Should he succeed, the team might have found a new sprinter for the Tokyo Games.