Rai Benjamin

Rai Benjamin, born on July 27, 1997, is an American hurdler and sprinter specializing in the 400 m and 400 m hurdles. He is the second fastest man in history in the 400 m hurdles with a personal best of 46.17 seconds and the 2024 Olympic champion in the event.

Benjamin won a silver medal at his first Olympic Games in 2021 before claiming gold at the 2024 Summer Olympics. On the world stage, he earned silver medals at the 2019 and 2022 World Championships in the 400 m hurdles, along with gold medals in the 4x400 m relay in 2019 and 2021.

In college, Benjamin competed for the UCLA Bruins and then the USC Trojans, where in 2018 he helped set the world best time in the indoor 4x400 m relay at 3:00.77, recording a split of 44.35 seconds, the fastest ever in an indoor race at the time. That same year, he also helped set the NCAA record in the outdoor 4x400 m relay and ran a then-historic 47.02 seconds in the 400 m hurdles.