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'King Ben' gets one over Karsten Warholm in Paris to clinch Olympic gold in the 400mH.
America’s Rai Benjami got the better of his long-term 400 meters hurdles rival Karsten Warholm to claim gold in the final at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic games on Friday.
Benjamin won this round of the battle, finally claiming an Olympic gold medal, having claimed only one gold medal in the numerous battled between them over the last six years, which now sets the path for potentially another four years of rivalry between the two ahead of the Los Angels Olympic games in 2028.
Benjamin got through the line first on 46.06, with Warlorm settling for second on 47.06.
Brazil’s Allison Dos Santos settled for Bronze with a time of 47.76.
"I can't believe I actually finally did it," Benjamin reflected after the race. "It just happened at the right moment. My family is here, my friends are here. To do it in front of them means so much to me. I'm just so excited."
A field of the highest quality lined up on the start line with 10 hurdles and seven other athletes - each with the same lofty goal of gold - separating them from them and the Olympic title.
And while many fans could have predicted the podium, guessing the steps on which the athletes would stand was a much harder proposition.
Warholm, the Olympic record holder, was perhaps the most fancied for gold. However, with Dos Santos the 2022 world champion and Benjamin holding the fastest time of the year, this 400m hurdles final seemed to be as wide open as they get.
In the end, it was Benjamin who finished strongest, powering through the line to take the Olympic crown in front of a Paris crowd in full party mode as the evening’s athletics action drew to a close. Warholm stumbled in the final straight, ending his chances of catching the American who led with 100m to go.
"To do it here means a lot," Benjamin replied when asked what it felt like to beat such a competitive field. "I've been doing it all season. To get it done it here when it really matters, when everyone said I couldn't get it done, it means so much to me. This one, they can't take away from me, at all. Mostly for me, this is about proving myself right."
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