USA's Rai Benjamin bests world record holder to win 400m hurdles Olympic gold

Caption

Rai Benjamin of the U.S. celebrates after winning gold ahead of silver medalist Karsten Warholm of Norway, seen behind him, in the 400-meter hurdles final at the Paris Olympics on Friday. / AP

SAINT-DENIS, France — Rai Benjamin just upgraded his silver to gold at the Paris Olympics at Stade de France on Friday in the 400-meter hurdles.

He may have been 0.29 seconds slower than his silver-medal showing at the Tokyo Games three years ago, but it was enough to beat defending gold champion and world record holder Karsten Warholm of Norway.

He matched his seasonal best time of 46.46 seconds — 0.6 seconds ahead of Warholm, who finished second for silver. Alison dos Santos of Brazil won the bronze.

The 27-year-old had been battling injury for much of the past year. A nerve flare-up in his back created issues in his quads, forcing him to rest before the world championships about a year ago. It’s why some track watchers didn’t think he'd do well in Paris.

"It does suck to see people doubting your abilities, not knowing the full story,” he said. “There's a lot of stuff that happens off the track that nobody really sees.

But, he said, “this is about proving myself right.”

"To do it here means a lot. I've been doing it all season,” he said.