Rai Benjamin officially announced the conclusion of his 2024 season through a tribute video on his X page. The video recorded all the exciting moments of his journey to becoming a 400-meter hurdles Olympic champion, giving his admirers a taste of the effort and enthusiasm he demonstrated during the campaign.
The 2024 season posed a significant challenge for Benjamin. He felt confident in his commitment to the 400-meter hurdles, and as he approached the US Olympic Trials, he announced that he wasn’t going to compete in the same category’s flat race. This was a fantastic opportunity for the American hurdler, and he delivered an outstanding performance.
The video depicted his journey, beginning with his appearance at the Stade de France and including clips from the 4×400-meter relays and post-races. In between the clips, it also highlighted some moments from the US Olympic Trials. The athlete’s emotions were overflowing, as evidenced by the transitions between the year’s two major events.
This showcased how Benjamin kept up his effort and eventually won his first individual Olympic gold medal in Paris. This was the moment the athlete had hoped for since the 2021 Tokyo Olympics when he finished second in the men’s 400-meter hurdles.
That’s a wrap on the season for the Golden boy. And that’s 100 gigs for your head top ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/nLnOs00LCb
— Rai Benjamin (@_Kingben_) August 28, 2024
In addition to the individual races, Benjamin earned gold for Team USA in the men’s 4×400-meter relays at the Olympics. Despite not running the category’s flat race, he was able to execute a productive anchor run, holding off Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo and winning the event with the United States, setting an Olympic record of 2:55.70.
The track and field world talked about the 27-year-old when he helped Team USA secure two gold medals in the Paris Olympics. Rodney Green emphasized the athlete’s significance in the men’s 4×400-meter relay finals and shared his thoughts on the event.
Benjamin is Team USA’s X-factor
In the men’s 4×400-meter relays at the Paris Olympics, each team had their own star athlete. In the Ready Set Go podcast, Rodney Green dubbed Benjamin as Team USA’s X-factor after he anchored them to their gold medal.
The retired Bahamian sprinter pointed out the strength of Team Botswana and how they were capable of snatching that gleaming gold. The 27-year-old anchored the United States with immense pace and kept Letsile Tebogo behind him with the required distance. Even though the Botswanan’s pace was amazing, it wasn’t enough to overtake the American athlete, owing to his experience in the relays.
