American runners won another gold medal on Saturday, this time in the final of the men’s 4x400m relay.
The first-place team, consisting of Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin, not only secured gold but also set a new record.
The final lap of the relay saw a showdown between Benjamin, the 400m gold medalist from the USA, and Letsile Tebogo, the Olympic 200m champion from Botswana. The two runners received their batons at about the same time.
It was Benjamin who crossed the finish line first with an Olympic record time of 2:54:43, ahead of Tebogo with 2:54:53.
Great Britain, meanwhile, took bronze in 2:55.83.
Quincy Wilson, the alternate for the US team, became the youngest Olympic champion in track and field at just 16 years old, breaking the previous record set by 17-year-old Bob Mathias at the 1948 Olympic Games in London.
The women of the US team also secured gold in their 4×400-meter relay. The quartet gained an early lead that no other team could catch. In the end, several seconds separated them from second place.
Benjamin won the team gold medal just one day after his individual gold medal in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, achieving his season’s best time of 46.46 seconds.
Benjamin won the silver medal in Tokyo three years ago.
“In Tokyo there were tears, here in Paris there are only smiles. Rai Benjamin from Mount Vernon, New York, you are an Olympic champion,” said Leigh Diffey of NBC Olympics.
How many medals does Rai Benjamin have?
Rai Benjamin has now won four Olympic medals: gold in the men’s 4x400m relay and the men’s 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics, and silver in the men’s 400m hurdles and gold in the men’s 4x400m relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
Here are the medals that Rai Benjamin has:
- Olympic Games 2024 in Paris – Gold – Men’s 4 x 400 m Relay
- Olympic Games 2024 in Paris – Gold – Men’s 400 m Hurdles
- Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Gold – Men’s 4 x 400 m Relay
- Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games – Silver – Men’s 400m Hurdles
How old is Rai Benjamin?
Rai Benjamin is 27 and celebrated his birthday on July 27th during the Olympic Games in Paris.
Where does Rai Benjamin live?
Rai Benjamin was born in the Bronx and lists Mount Vernon, New York as his hometown. He attended Mount Vernon High School.
He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Where did Rai Benjamin study?
Rai Benjamin was a hurdler and sprinter for USC in 2018 after transferring from UCLA after two seasons.
He graduated from USC in 2019. He volunteered as an assistant coach for the USC track and field program.
