Running News Daily

Rai Benjamin eying world record performance at World Athletics Championships

USA’s 400 meters hurdler, Rai Benjamin, has his eyes set on the world record heading into next month’s World Athletics Championships from August 19-27 in Budapest, Hungary.

The record, 45.94 seconds, is currently held by Norwegian sprinter, Karsten Warholm.

The son of former West Indies and Antigua and Barbuda fast bowler, Winston Benjamin, Rai stopped short of revealing what targets he has set for the championships but said he believes it will take a record-breaking performance to beat Warholm in Budapest.

“Am not going to put it out there but I am looking for a sub world record mark because that’s what it’s going to take to win in all honesty because Warholm is in shape and I am in shape so it’s just about getting sharp now these next couple of days and fine-tuning a couple of things to get ready to go and do that,” he said. 

Benjamin, who represented Antigua and Barbuda as a youth athlete, won a fourth straight US title in his signature event on July 9 at the 2023 US Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon. In the final, he sped to his season’s best, a 46.62, to take the crown.

The athlete, who was speaking on the Good Morning Jojo sports show at the time, however revealed that he had struggled with an injury leading into the US event.

“I’ve been battling with a quad injury for the past three or four months so it’s been an interesting one because I was in great shape coming into the year where I opened up my season very well in the 400 and just preparing to do some big things this year.

“I had a quad injury after the first meet and then I had to go to Germany to get that [sorted]. After that we had USA’s [US trials] and I ran pretty fast there, so now it’s just about maintaining feeling good and training well,” he said. 

Hoping to break the world record and become an Olympic champion in the near future, Benjamin said one of his goals is to fulfill his father’s dream of seeing him compete in the 200 meters.

“This was my initial plan, break the world record, win at the Olympics and then run the 200 the following World Championships but unfortunately nothing ever goes to plan.

“I am still trying to break the world record and then after I get done with that I’ll run the 200 and then I’ll run the 400 and go for that world record. I think I’ll run the 400 hurdles the last Olympics or the last two Olympic cycles,” he said.

In August 2021, Warholm broke the 400 meters hurdles record with a time of 45.94 seconds with Benjamin clocking 46.17 for the silver medal.