Rai Benjamin’s track and field coaches in Mount Vernon talk about his school days
Rai Benjamin’s track and field coaches at Mount Vernon High School talk about his school days and his plans for the future
When American hurdler Kevin Young raced to the gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, Young posted a time that initially seemed unbeatable. His finishing time of 46.78 seconds remained untouched for nearly three decades and was one of the longest-standing records until it was broken at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Rai Benjamin of Mount Vernon and Norway’s Karsten Warholm.
Since then, Benjamin, Warholm and Brazilian Alison Dos Santos have set new standards as world stars in the 400-meter hurdles.
The Mount Vernon native posted five of the top 10 fastest times in the men’s 400-meter hurdles. Here’s where he ranks among the best in the world:
All-time best placings in the men’s 400-meter hurdles
- Karsten Warholm, Norway: 45.94 seconds (3 August 2021 – Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games)
- Rai Benjamin, United States: 46.17 seconds (August 3, 2021 – Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games)
- Alison Dos Santos, Brazil: 46.29 seconds (July 19, 2022 – 2022 World Championships)
- Rai Benjamin, United States: 46.39 seconds (September 16, 2023 – Prefontaine Classic)
- Rai Benjamin, United States: 46.46 seconds (August 9, 2024 – 2024 Paris Olympics; June 30, 2024 – 2024 US Olympic Qualifier in Athletics)
- Karsten Warholm, Norway: 46.51 seconds (July 21, 2023 – Monaco Diamond League)
- Karsten Warholm, Norway: 46.52 seconds (June 15, 2023 – Oslo Diamond League)
- Karsten Warholm, Norway: 46.53 seconds (September 16, 2023 – Prefontaine Classic)
- Rai Benjamin, United States: 46.62 seconds (July 9, 2023 – 2023 U.S. Track and Field Championships)
- Alison Dos Santos, Brazil: 46.63 seconds (30 May 2024 – Oslo Diamond League)
All-time best results by athletes in the men’s 400-meter hurdles
1. Karsten Warholm, Norway: 45.94 seconds
3 August 2021
In one of the greatest Olympic races of all time, Warholm defeated Benjamin to win gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, posting a record-breaking time of 45.94 seconds in the 400-meter final.
3 August 2021
In a rare incident, Benjamin broke the previous world record in the 400-meter hurdles during the finals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but finished second behind Warholm to take the silver medal.
3. Alison Dos Santos, Brazil: 46.29 seconds
July 19, 2022
The Brazilian 400-meter hurdles runner achieved the fastest time by a South American at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. It was the first gold medal in Brazil’s history at the World Athletics Championships and he defeated Norwegian Warholm and American Benjamin.
4. Kevin Young, USA: 46.78 seconds
6 August 1992
Young held the world record for 29 years until Warholm and Benjamin overtook him at the 2021 Olympics. At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, Young left the competition behind on his way to the gold medal. Until Warholm and Benjamin broke his impressive finishing time, it was one of the longest-standing world records in men’s track and field.
5. Samba Abderrahman, Qatar: 46.98 seconds
30 June 2018
When Abderrahman won the 2018 Diamond League meeting in Paris, he became only the second runner in the world to finish in a time under 47 seconds, the closest anyone had come to Young’s record up to that point.
6. Edwin Moses, USA: 47.02 seconds
31 August 1983
On his 28th birthday, the American hurdler gave himself a new world record in a race in Koblenz. Moses was the most dominant athlete in the 400-meter hurdles in his heyday. His world record stood for nine years until it was broken by Young. He won 122 consecutive races, including 107 consecutive finals, and won two Olympic gold medals during a 10-year period at the 1976 and 1984 Games.
7. Bryan Bronson, USA: 47.03 seconds
21 June 1998
Bronson won the U.S. Track and Field Championships three times from 1996 to 1998, and posted one of the fastest 400-meter times in U.S. and world history at the 1998 championships in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bronson represented the U.S. at the 1996 Olympics, but did not win a medal.
8. Kyron McMaster, British Virgin Islands: 47.08 seconds
3 August 2021
Although he only finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics and missed the podium, the 400-meter final was one of the fastest finishes in the world, with McMaster finishing fourth with a time of 47.08 seconds.
9. Samuel Matete, Zambia: 47.10 seconds
7 August 1991
At the 1991 Zurich Grand Prix in Switzerland, Matete set the African continental record with a personal best time of 47.10 seconds. In the same year, Matete became the first Zambian World Athletics Champion at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan.
10. Andre Phillips, USA: 47.19 seconds
25 September 1988
After playing second fiddle to Moses for most of his athletics career, Phillips managed to beat his idol to win the gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, and also ran one of the fastest times ever in the 400-meter hurdles.
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
