400 metres Hurdles, Men

Many people thought this would be the best race of the 2020 athletics’ events, but we weren’t expecting this. In the end, some athletics’ historians would call this the greatest race ever run.

The favorite was Norwegian Karsten Warholm, the 2017 and 2019 World Champion, who had broken the world record earlier in July 2021, running 46.70 at the Bislett Meet in Oslo, to break the record set back in Seoul by Kevin Young, who won the 1988 Olympic gold medal with 46.78, which was the first sub-47 second time.

Warholm’s main challenger was considered to be American Rai Benjamin, who had just missed Young’s world record in winning the US Olympic Trials, recording 46.83. Benjamin had been the top American for several years now but had never beaten Warholm. There were two other top challengers in Qatari Abderrahman Samba and Brazilian Alison dos Santos, but the race was expected to come down to Warholm vs. Benjamin.

And so it did. Benjamin was in lane five, with Warholm in six, Samba in seven, and dos Santos outside them in lane eight. Warholm always starts fast and led to hurdle three, when Benjamin caught up to him. Over hurdle four Benjamin had to chop his stride to make his 13 steps between hurdles and it slowed him slightly, as Warholm opened a lead, which grew through hurdle seven. Then Benjamin started reeling Warholm back in and as they approached the final hurdle he was on his shoulder. Warholm had to shorten his strides to get to hurdle 10 in 15 steps and his favored lead leg, but he poured it on to the finish to win by a stride over Benjamin.

Rai Benjamin had shattered Karsten Warholm’s recent world record, finishing in 46.17 – and he had lost, as Warholm had finished in a Beamon-like 45.94, going past the 46-second barrier that was not considered possible before the Olympics. Warholm’s first thought, when he stared at the finish board in the stadium, was, “That’s sick.” In third dos Santos ran the fourth fastest time ever with 46.72, bettered before the Olympics only by Warholm’s world record. Finishing fourth was Kyron McMaster from the British Virgin Islands, who still moved to 7th on the all-time performer list. The race produced the fastest times-for-place for 1st through 8th.

When asked if it was the greatest race in history, Warholm said it was “up there.” Benjamin was more emphatic, saying, “That was the best race in Olympic history.” Nobody was arguing with him.