One is a long shot, the other the defending Olympic silver medalist, on a quest to change silver to gold this year.
For both, Thursday was a step toward their goals.
Mount Vernon’s Rai Benjamin, who captured silver in the men’s 400-meter hurdles in the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics three years ago, before anchoring the U.S. men’s 4×400 relay team to gold there, qualified at the U.S. Olyumpic Trials Thursday night for Friday’s men’s 400 hurdles semifinals.
The 26-year-old Benjamin, the best 400 hurdler the U.S. has ever produced, certainly didn’t jog the course, but logged an easy 49.56 to win the first of three heats at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene.
The heats leader was Texas Tech’s Caleb Dean (49.45).
At the Tokyo Games, Benjamin broke the world record with a 46.17 run. But Norway’s Karsten Warholm had just a little more kick and won in 45.94. That race is considered one of the best in Olympic history.
Benjamin, who now lives in California, where he was a multiple-time All-American for UCLA and then USC, is expected to easily make the Trials’ final, which will be Sunday night. (Both the semis and final are being aired by Peacock.)