{"id":121426,"date":"2024-08-09T17:07:16","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T21:07:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/?p=121426"},"modified":"2024-08-09T19:31:12","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T23:31:12","slug":"team-usas-rai-benjamin-upsets-warholm-for-400m-hurdles-gold-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runningmagazine.ca\/sections\/runs-races\/team-usas-rai-benjamin-upsets-warholm-for-400m-hurdles-gold-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Team USA’s Rai Benjamin upsets Warholm for 400m hurdles Olympic gold"},"content":{"rendered":"

The top two finishers from Tokyo 2020 traded podium positions in an electrifying 400m hurdles final at the Stade de France on Friday, as American Rai Benjamin<\/strong> unseated the defending Olympic champion, world champion and world record holder, Karsten Warholm <\/strong>of Norway<\/a>. Benjamin, the silver medallist from Tokyo, took gold in a season’s best 46.46\u2013well ahead of Warholm’s 47.06, while Alison dos Santos<\/strong> of Brazil repeated his bronze medal performance from Tokyo 2020 in 47.26 seconds.<\/p>\n

Warholm, in lane 7, had Benjamin in his sights in lane 8, and gained ground on the American through the first turn, but couldn’t quite make up the stagger. By the home stretch, Benjamin was pulling away, leaving Warholm behind.<\/p>\n

\"Rai
Rai Benjamin of Team USA (centre) takes gold from Norway’s Karsten Warholm (right) in the men’s 400m hurdles at Paris 2024. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having medalled at the last four major championships in the event, dating back to the 2019 World Championships in Doha, the 26-year-old Benjamin was one of the favourites for gold on Friday; he had the fastest time in the world this year (46.46). Warholm, Benjamin and dos Santos are the three fastest men ever in the 400m hurdles event. Warholm set the world and Olympic record of 45.94 in an empty stadium in Tokyo three years ago.<\/p>\n

In May, the hurdler stirred controversy when he stated his intention not to wear a race bib<\/a> on his uniform at the Olympics. (Race bibs are required to identify athletes as per World Athletics rules; clearly someone must have talked him out of it, since he was most definitely wearing race bibs at these Games; not wearing one would earn him a disqualification.)<\/p>\n

\n

OLYMPIC CHAMP \ud83d\udd25@_Kingben_<\/a> wins his first global gold and it’s the OLYMPIC GOLD \u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n

46.46 \u23f1\ufe0f#Paris2024<\/a> #Olympics<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/NwVNSWFiIQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n