American 400-meter hurdles sensation Rai Benjamin wouldn’t be denied this time.
Three years after working a preposterous 46.17 seconds, solely to lose the gold to Karsten Warholm’s world report of 45.94 seconds within the Tokyo Olympics, Benjamin exacted revenge on his nice Norwegian rival to turn out to be the Olympic champion in Paris. The moist circumstances didn’t lend itself to the potential for a brand new world report, however Benjamin’s 46.46 seconds was nonetheless tied for the fifth-fastest in historical past, and he received in a rout.
Warholm needed to accept the silver medal in 47.06 seconds, whereas Brazil’s Alison dos Santos repeated his bronze medal from Tokyo with a time of 47.26.
The rivalry between Warholm and Benjamin has constantly favored Warholm in main championship competitions. He beat Benjamin within the 2019 World Championships in Doha, the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Even when Warholm didn’t medal within the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, Benjamin nonetheless misplaced out on gold to Alison dos Santos. After three silvers and a bronze and several other years of Nineteen Nineties Buffalo Payments-esque ache for the native of Mount Vernon, New York, Benjamin has lastly damaged by way of for his first particular person gold medal.
There have been indicators that Warholm’s dominance was waning in current instances. After profitable final yr’s world title, he dropped consecutive Diamond League races to the British Virgin Islands’ Kyron McMaster (who was fifth in Friday’s closing) and Rai Benjamin to finish the yr. In 2024, Warholm was bested by dos Santos in his native Norway, whereas Benjamin defeated each males in Monaco simply earlier than the Olympics started.
This victory for Benjamin often is the sign that we’re witnessing a altering of the guard, seven years faraway from Warholm’s first world title. Benjamin entered Friday’s closing with an undefeated report for 2024, in addition to the perfect time of the season, and he left the opposite two quickest males of all-time properly behind.
Benjamin could have the chance so as to add to his gold medal assortment on Saturday, the ultimate day of monitor and subject competitors of the Paris Olympics, when he competes within the 4×400 meters relay. He was the anchor leg for the gold medal win within the Tokyo Olympics, in addition to the 2019 and 2023 world titles, and he’ll be strongly favored to carry dwelling the gold in what’s properly on tempo to be the best monitor and subject medal haul in Workforce USA historical past.
