WITH A SINGULAR FOCUS, Rai Benjamin had this long-anticipated rematch front-and-center in his mind for the past 3 years. And he was determined not to allow history to repeat itself.
The Tokyo race was the outstanding track event of those Games, advancing its medalists to positions 1-2-3 on the world all-time list. Now the three protagonists would meet again, in similar circumstances, this time in a packed stadium, once more for the biggest prize.
Since the Japanese epic, the trio had raced together four times: Karsten Warholm won once; Alison dos Santos once; and Benjamin twice. In career head-to-head matchups, Warholm was 10–2 over dos Santos and 4–3 over Benjamin; the latter was 7–2 against the Brazilian.
The big three advanced easily through the first round on a sunny morning, Warholm leading all qualifiers with a 47.57, the fastest-ever heat. The other two were more than a second slower. There were no major casualties.
Warholm took the first semi in 47.67, ahead of a 47.85 by Clement Ducos (France) and a 47.95 by dos Santos, who ran too casually for safe passage. American Trevor Bassitt’s 48.29 did not advance.
The other semis went to Benjamin (a ridiculously easy 47.85) and ’23 WC runner-up Kyron McMaster. American CJ Allen missed a finals spot by 0.25.
The draw for the final put Warholm and Benjamin adjacent to each other in lanes 7 and 8, with McMaster in 6 and dos Santos in a distant lane 2. Fortunately, recent rain downpours had ceased.
Typically, Warholm was off fastest, leading young Jamaican Roshawn Clarke and Benjamin out of the first curve. Down the backstretch, the order remained the same, and at hurdle 5 it was Warholm 20.18, Clarke 20.30, Benjamin 20.32, and dos Santos 20.44.
Around the bend, from barriers 6 to 8, the Norwegian was unable to get past his rival and open his usual gap, and in the same area where Femke Bol’s bid a day earlier had encountered an unstoppable force, and lactic acid, he was doomed to a long and ultimately frustrating pursuit.
Benjamin led by 0.2 at hurdle 9 (36.39); by 0.5 at 10 (40.96); and he powered home in 46.46, equal-5th best all time. Warholm held on for a 47.06, and dos Santos finished an isolated 3rd in 47.26.
“Before the race, I made my peace with whatever would happen, and thankfully I got it done today,” said Benjamin. “The weight has been lifted. I told myself, ‘It has to go my way at some point.’ It could have been anyone’s night, and sometimes things just shake your way.”
Said Warholm, “When you run these races, it’s a lot of instincts. I always want to win, of course. I messed up hurdle 9 because I was a little bit lactic and I couldn’t get the flow from 8 to 9. I saw Rai moving away, but I knew Alison was coming, so I had to fight to the end.”
MEN’S 400 HURDLES RESULTS
FINAL (August 09)
(temperature 72F/22C; humidity 90%)
1. Rai Benjamin (US) 46.46 (=WL) (x, =5 W; x, =3 A)
(touchdowns—5.62, 9.21, 12.82, 16.50, 20.32, 24.15, 28.02, 32.02, 36.39, 40.96);
2. Karsten Warholm (Nor) 47.06
(5.51, 9.09, 12.73, 16.41, 20.18, 24.03, 27.99, 32.15, 36.58, 41.44);
3. Alison dos Santos (Bra) 47.26
(5.72, 9.30, 12.96, 16.66, 20.44, 24.35, 28.42, 32.65, 37.09, 41.68);
4. Clement Ducos (Fra) 47.76;
5. Kyron McMaster (BVI) 47.79;
6. Abderrahmane Samba (Qat) 47.98;
7. Rasmus Mägi (Est) 52.53 (fell);
… dnf—Roshawn Clarke (Jam).
(lanes: 2. Samba; 3. dos Santos; 4. Mägi; 5. Ducos; 6. McMaster; 7. Warholm; 8. Benjamin; 9. Clarke)
(reaction times: 0.143 McMaster, 0.152 Warholm, 0.162 Ducos, 0.167 dos Santos, 0.169 Samba, 0.171 Benjamin, 0.175 Mägi, 0.195 Clarke)
HEATS (August 05)
I–1. Benjamin 48.82; 2. Jaheel Hyde (Jam) 49.08; 3. McMaster 49.24; 4. Carl Bengtström (Swe) 49.34; 5. Bassem Hemeida (Qat) 49.82; 6. Daiki Ogawa (Jpn) 50.21; 7. Matic Ian Guček (Slo) 50.30.
II–1. Warholm 47.57 (fastest-ever first round); 2. Ducos 47.69 PR; 3. Samba 48.35; 4. Yeral Nuñez (DR) 48.67; 5. Trevor Bassitt (US) 49.38; 6. Vít Müller (CzR) 49.44; 7. Oskar Edlund (Swe) 49.74; 8. Zhiyu Xie (Chn) 49.90.
III–1. Mägi 48.62; 2. CJ Allen (US) 48.64; 3. dos Santos 48.75; 4. Emil Nana Kwame Agyekum (Ger) 49.38; 5. Victor Ntweng (Bot) 49.59; 6. Julien Bonvin (Swi) 49.82; 7. Kaito Tsutsue (Jpn) 50.50; 8. Yasmani Copello (Tur) 50.72.
IV–1. Clarke 48.17; 2. Ezekiel Nathaniel (Ngr) 48.38; 3. Wilfried Happio (Fra) 48.42; 4. Alessandro Sibilio (Ita) 48.43; 5. Wiseman Mukhobe (Ken) 48.58; 6. Nick Smidt (Neth) 48.64; 7. Gerald Drummond (CR) 48.80; 8. Constantin Preis (Ger) 49.99.
V–1. Malik James-King (Jam) 48.21; 2. Matheus Lima (Bra) 48.90; 3. Alastair Chalmers (GB) 48.98; 4. Joshua Abuaku (Ger) 49.00; 5. Berke Akçam (Tur) 49.48; 6. Ken Toyoda (Jpn) 53.62;… dnf—Ming-Yang Peng (Tai), Ismail Doudai Abakar (Qat).
REPECHAGE (August 06)
400H: I–1. Bassitt 48.64; 2. Agyekum 48.67; 3. Müller 48.96; 4. Edlund 48.99; 5. Ogawa 49.25; 6. Hemeida 49.64;… dnc—Copello.
II–1. Bengtström 48.63; 2. Drummond 48.78; 3. Ntweng 48.88; 4. Guček 49.06; 5. Preis 51.02;… dnc—Tsutsue.
III–1. Akçam 48.72; 2. Abuaku 48.87; 3. Bonvin 49.08; 4. Xie 49.59; 5. Nuñez 53.68;… dnc—Toyoda.
SEMIS (August 07)
I–1. Warholm 47.67; 2. Ducos 47.85; 3. dos Santos 47.95; 4. Bassitt 48.29; 5. Nathaniel 48.65; 6. Smidt 49.61; 7. Hyde 50.03; 8. Abuaku 50.19.
II–1. McMaster 48.15; 2. Mägi 48.16; 3. Samba 48.20; 4. Allen 48.44; 5. Agyekum 48.78; 6. Sibilio 48.79; 7. James-King 48.85; 8. Akçam 49.12.
III–1. Benjamin 47.85; 2. Clarke 48.34; 3. Happio 48.66; 4. Lima 49.08; 5. Mukhobe 49.22; 6. Bengtström 49.56; 7. Drummond 49.68; 8. Chalmers 56.52.