Rai Benjamin won the men's 400-meter hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics in 46.46 seconds. It was his first individual Olympic gold medal, following a silver in the same event at the Tokyo Games. His career combines hurdling with relay running, including Olympic gold in the men's 4 × 400 meters. He later won the individual 400-meter hurdles title at the 2025 world championships in Tokyo, finishing in 46.52 seconds.
Benjamin attended Mount Vernon High School in New York, where he competed in sprints and hurdles. He won three state championships in the 400-meter hurdles and the 2015 New Balance outdoor title in that event. He also won the New Balance indoor 400-meter championship that year. His high school marks included 49.97 seconds over the 400-meter hurdles and 46.19 in the flat 400 meters.
He competed for UCLA in 2016 and 2017. In his first season, he finished sixth in the NCAA 400-meter hurdles final, earning All-America recognition. The following year, he placed second at the NCAA championships in 48.33 seconds, finishing one hundredth of a second behind the winner. He also won the 2017 Pac-12 title in the event. Benjamin then transferred to the University of Southern California, joining its track team as a junior with two seasons of eligibility remaining. At USC, he studied political science.
His first Olympics brought a hurdles silver and a relay gold in Tokyo. In the opening round in Paris, he won his heat in 48.82 seconds. He followed with a semifinal heat victory in 47.85, earning automatic qualification for the final. His 46.46 in the final secured the individual title.
At the 2025 world championships, Benjamin's victory required a successful appeal after an initial disqualification involving the last hurdle. Officials reinstated him as champion. Alison dos Santos finished second and Abderrahman Samba third. His winning time of 46.52 was his fastest of that season.
