Benjamin Won, Lost, Then Won Again In Tokyo

EVERY ATHLETE at some point experiences both the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. But they’re not supposed to feel both in the same race.

Rai Benjamin ran a (mostly) masterful race in Tokyo to claim his first world championship. Like at the Paris Olympics, he turned back his friendly nemesis, Karsten Warholm, and clocked 46.52, the =No. 9 all-time performance. He donned a golden toy crown and began his celebration.

Then things went south. He was informed that he had been disqualified. The only flaw in his race had been a hard hit on hurdle 10, which slightly dislodged the barrier in the adjacent lane, occupied by Nigeria’s Nathaniel Ezekiel.

For 15 uncertain minutes, Benjamin went through a ringer of emotions. However, quick action by USATF got the DQ overturned, and he could keep the crown on his head and place the gold medal around his neck.

“I won, and then I didn’t win, and then I won again, so I won twice tonight,” laughed a relieved Benjamin.

“What’s a World Championship without a little drama?” he asked rhetorically. “So, ironically, we’re [sitting] in the elimination chairs and [Qatar’s 3rd-placer Abderrahmane] Samba goes like, ‘Where are our medals?’ And [Brazil’s 2nd-placer Alison] dos Santos was like, ‘I think there’s been a DQ.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, damn, who got the DQ?’ And he goes, ‘I think it might be you.’ And I was like, ‘What?!’”

In the stomach-churning roller coaster of the moment, Benjamin had to dig down and find the same kind of discipline he puts into his training.

“I still had [the crown] on, and I took it off. And then I was like, ‘Man, get that camera out of my face.’

“But then I was like, ‘You gotta chill,’ because I’m not out here just representing myself, I’m representing the entire United States and my family and this whole team, so I just had to keep my emotions in check and just really figure out what was going on. There’s nothing much I could do at that point but just wait for the officials. Obviously, it really sucked to lose that way in a DQ after running 10 hurdles, but I’m happy that I was able to show some restraint down there and some self-control.”

Difficulty maintaining control was what got him into the predicament. Benjamin admitted the clattering of the…