DOHA, Qatar – In the three weeks leading up to the 2019 IAAF World Track and Field Championships, Rai Benjamin’s dad, Winston, repeatedly told his son he thought he would run 46.72 seconds. The 400-meter hurdles world record, set by American Kevin Young at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, is 46.78 seconds.
Benjamin had given Young’s record a scare at the Diamond League finals in Zurich. He tied the third fastest time in history and finished second in 46.98 while Norwegian Karsten Warholm ran the second-fastest time ever, 46.92, to win.
Five days before Monday night’s final, Benjamin predicted a quick race in a field consisting of three of the four fastest 400-meter hurdlers of all time, including Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, who has run 46.98 as well.
To win the gold, he said at a press conference, “I say under 46.9.”
But none of the three sub-47 runners came close to Young’s 27-year-old world record or Benjamin’s prediction. Warholm won in 47.42 seconds, Benjamin placed second in 47.66 and Samba placed third in 48.03.
Benjamin identified his conservative start as the reason for losing in Zurich, but he corrected that Monday with a fast first 200 and still lost to Warholm. This time, he messed up his step count and paid the price with a bloody knee from a collision with a hurdle.
The USC graduate also revealed that a heel bruise that nearly made him scratch the world championships altogether. He suffered the injury two weeks ago at practice and was on crutches for a short time.
Warholm, the defending champion, was asked if he knew of Benjamin’s injury.
“I didn’t know, but he wasn’t on crutches when we were in Zurich, was he?” he responded.
Benjamin’s goal was to win the gold medal even with his injury in mind. He had mixed feelings about the runner-up finish as he still has a long career ahead.
“I’m pretty proud of myself,” he said. “Part of me wants to be hard on myself, part of me doesn’t.”
Young doesn’t think his world record will stand for much longer with three sub-47 runners constantly competing against one another.
“If I was Samba and Rai and Warholm, I would constantly want to race with one another,” he said before worlds in an interview for the IAAF. “Just so we could see who would be first to break the record.”
For at least the next few months, Young will remain the fastest 400-meter hurdler ever and Warholm, Benjamin and Samba will be just behind.
