Rai Benjamin has spent a lifetime with both feet planted in different worlds. On the track, he’s one of the fastest 400-meter hurdlers ever, but his 4x400 relay teams have also put together some of the most memorable performances in American history. (A recent example: last year’s relay in Paris, where Rai ran an inspired 43.13 anchor leg, holding off a furious comeback against Botswana.) He proudly wears USA on his chest, but he’s also the proud son of Antiguan immigrants who made a life for themselves in the Bronx. Rai will compete in the 400-meter hurdles in Tokyo for his first world title. But his identities as a competitor are intricately laced across the many bonds he carries as an athlete — equal parts individual and teammate, American star and son of Caribbean parents. Below, Rai speaks to his identities as an athlete, his epiphany during his undefeated 2024 season, and why he values the team above all.
Early on, I was able to experience what makes track special as both an individual and a collective sport. When I was first old enough to compete on the international stage, I was able to compete for Antigua in the Ukraine for the World Youth Championships. It was a great experience overall, but I realize now that I was missing a sense of camaraderie with my teammates. I was watching Team USA, where everyone was having fun together and doing their own thing. I realized I was missing that team aspect. Here I was, a 15-year-old, by myself in a hotel room in a foreign country. When it’s your first time at a big meet, having teammates who are going through the same thing as you, all while you’re competing individually, is so important.
It was that sense of camaraderie that led me to filing to compete for Team USA. All of my friends were competing for the USA, and I wanted to be a part of that. The transfer was a long process. I went through two entire collegiate seasons before it was approved. I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was sitting in Spanish class, 8 am. Horrible. Everyone was dozing off. All of a sudden, I get an email that pops up: My allegiance transfer was approved. Representing both Antigua and the United States are integral parts of my story. Competing for my family’s country of origin helped put me on a trajectory that changed my outlook on life, both athletically and personally.
Going from New York to Los Angeles for college was like night and day. Getting onto the road after flying into LAX, I’m seeing six-lane highways for the first time. The sun’s always shining, there are no clouds in the sky, there’s an In-N-Out everywhere you look. It seemed like a life you only saw on TV. Then you get onto the track: These kids are running 45s in the 400, and 3:15s in the relay. I’m like, Whoa, this is an entirely different beast on the track scene as well. I’m a proud East Coaster, but I was ready to experience a culture shift like that once I got to UCLA and then USC, because I knew I’d grow as a competitor.
Athletes are lucky to have one standout season that defines their career. It’s even rarer to have two. The 2024 season for me was special. I went undefeated in the hurdles, I ran a world-leading time twice, and the 4x400 relay in Paris was one of the craziest races I’ve ever been a part of. But that 2018 season at USC was magical, man. My outdoor times were fast, and that 4x400 relay team [Michael Norman, Ricky Morgan and Zach Shinnick] was special from top to bottom. But the middle of those seasons, those six years, was what changed me as an athlete, and those were the most trying years of my career, being injured so much. Something needed to changed. I went to coach Joanna Hayes before my 2024 season, and I told her, “Listen, I just want to have fun again this year. I don’t want to think too much about anything. I just want to race, stay healthy and have fun on the track again.” Being the amazing coach that she is, she sat down with my trainer and created a plan for the season. It was like a flip was switched, as far as feeling like myself again.
“Competing for my family’s country of origin helped put me on a trajectory that changed my outlook on life, both athletically and personally.”
Rai Benjamin
I started enjoying myself on the track again once I surrendered myself to the things I couldn’t control. There’s only so much you can do to prepare. Get the training in, be present, accept when you’ve done enough. I like to say that 2024 was my season of surrender.
Knowing when to say no is one of the most important decisions you make as an athlete. I’ve had two clear moments in my life. One of them was when I chose not to run in the 2024 Pre Classic. I had this recurring injury in my quad that was showing up. I distinctly remember telling my coaches and my agent that if I go to Pre, I’m going to ruin the rest of my season. I had my sights on Paris later that summer. I knew that I was risking a medal in Paris if I insisted on battling through the pain and competing in Eugene. To my team’s credit, everyone supported me. I let my leg heal. The telltale sign it was the right decision was when I raced in Monaco in July. That win gave me all the confidence in the world going into Paris.
Unless you’ve run in a relay, you don’t know how special it is to be running for your teammates. That 4x400 relay medal in Paris means more to me than my individual gold. The four of us were running for each other. We were running for the entire nation. As soon as I got that baton as the anchor, I had never heard a stadium that loud in my entire life. I get to the homestretch and I’m spent, I have nothing left in the tank. I was like, “Please, God, get me to the line!” I remember crossing the line and being ecstatic. The boys were so happy, people were going nuts. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my entire life.
Now, I’m better on the mental side of competition than ever. My win at US Nationals was a great example of how I’ve matured as a runner. Caleb Dean started to my outside, and he took off like he was shot out of a cannon. But I’ve raced these guys so many times. I know exactly how they’re going to approach it. I knew Caleb was going to hit the first six hurdles hard. I usually know by hurdle seven or so if a guy can sustain a pace like that, and I knew I could chase him down. That’s the maturity in me. I’m confident in my experiences and my race planning, so I’m not thrown off by what a competitor does. I don’t doubt my tactics in the way I might have when I was a younger runner.