Rai Benjamin

Rai Benjamin is an American sprinter and hurdler who specializes in the 400 meters and 400-meter hurdles. Born on July 27, 1997, he is the third-fastest man in history in the 400-meter hurdles, holding a personal best time of 46.17 seconds. His international achievements include multiple Olympic gold and silver medals, as well as seven World Championships medals.

Benjamin is the son of Winston Benjamin, an Antiguan international cricketer for the West Indies. He split his childhood between Antigua and New York before settling permanently in New York for high school at Mount Vernon High School. Early in his career, he represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 2013 World Youth Championships. He later attended UCLA and the University of Southern California (USC), competing for the Bruins and Trojans. In college, he earned eight NCAA Division I All-America honors and three NCAA Division I track titles. In early 2018, he was part of the indoor 4 × 400-meter relay team that set a world best time of 3:00.77 with his record indoor split of 44.35 seconds, and later helped set an NCAA outdoor record in the same event.

After turning professional in 2018, Benjamin's request to transfer allegiance to the United States was approved by the IAAF in October of that year. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, he earned a silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles and a gold medal in the 4 × 400-meter relay. Making his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021, he set an American record and personal best of 46.17 seconds to secure the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles, while also winning a gold medal as part of the U.S. 4 × 400-meter relay team.

His competitive momentum continued into the subsequent global championships. Benjamin won silver in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, followed by a bronze in the 400-meter hurdles and a gold in the 4 × 400-meter relay at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. He closed 2023 by winning the Diamond League final at the Prefontaine Classic in a world-leading 46.39 seconds.

In 2024, Benjamin went undefeated in the 400-meter hurdles. At the Paris Olympic Games, he won his first individual Olympic gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 46.46 seconds, and earned a second gold medal in the 4 × 400-meter relay, helping set an Olympic record of 2:54.43. At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, he claimed the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles in 46.52 seconds after being reinstated following an initial disqualification, alongside a silver medal in the 4 × 400-meter relay.

Outside of competition, Benjamin co-hosts the podcast "Beyond the Records" with Noah Lyles and Grant Holloway, which debuted in December 2024. He is also an avid cyclist based in Los Angeles.