Rai Benjamin’s long-awaited victory in Paris is a testomony to his unwavering dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence.
After 4 years of relentless pursuit, Rai Benjamin’s perseverance paid off in Paris. He claimed the gold within the 400m hurdles, a feat that had eluded him in each Worlds and Olympics. His victory was all of the extra spectacular as he outpaced Karsten Warholm, the world report holder, who settled for silver.
The 4×400 m relay was a battle Rai Benjamin was prepared for. He confronted off in opposition to Letsile Tebogo, who gave his all to defeat Benjamin. The race was intense, however in the long run, Benjamin’s dedication and ability had been simply an excessive amount of for Tebogo to beat.
It’s essential to know the sheer depth of the 400-meter hurdles, a race that has been mastered. With ten hurdles to beat, it’s one of many hardest races in our sport. But, in Paris, Rai made it look easy, dominating his remaining and reaching the highest.
This interview is from March 2023; please take pleasure in!
This interview was accomplished in March 2023. As up to now six pre-pandemic years, International Athletics & Advertising and marketing had the forethought to place collectively a few days of interviews for a number of the observe and discipline’s international media. Twenty-six athletes gave interviews to a gaggle of recent, veteran, and not-so-veteran media. Some media had been making ready for textual content tales, audio, and video, and a few, like RunBlogRun, with a mix of shows.
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In that gentle, we ask you to observe the interview of Rai Benjamin.
On March 8-9, 2023, I interviewed 25 athletes from International Athletics. You’ll start to see them pop up on our websites, FB, Twitter, and IG. We are going to present video variations, audio variations, and textual content variations. Why? As a result of our readers digest media in various manners, even on the identical day.
Rai Benjamin has had a busy three years. After I spoke with Rai in March 2023, we had not chatted since 2019. I requested Rai to supply some context in regards to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the Eugene 2022 World Championships, and his present state of well being and health.
What resulted is without doubt one of the most poignant and sincere interviews I’ve witnessed in my almost 40 years as a journalist.
My interviews are fairly natural. I exploit a way recognized affectionately because the Brian Lenton technique. Brian is a positive Australian journalist who captured the golden period of Australian marathoning: Chris Wardlaw, Rob De Castella, Steve Monaghetti, in addition to John Landy, Ron Clarke, Brendan Foster, and Invoice Rodgers, amongst others. In most interviews, Lenton threw a six-pack of an grownup beverage on the desk, and the speak went the place it went.
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July 15-26 2022, picture by Kevin Morris
I ought to name my technique the developed Lenton technique. No booze, and sure, tons of studying previous to the interview, however the interview grows organically. On this case, with Rai, he’s clearly comfy with an interview. Rai is aware of I really like the game, and he is aware of the questions can have him strategy an occasion otherwise, maybe than he has earlier than.
My plan was to attempt to respect the challenges introduced to Rai Benjamin in 2021 and 2022 with sickness, damage and the challenges of being one of many two most interesting athletes on this planet in your occasion.
In one of many questions, you could discover it a bit garbled. The reality is that this, Rai was so sincere, and this author discovered that to be a really emotional expertise. Honesty, this present day, just isn’t generally discovered. On this author’s estimation, Rai Benjamin is on a journey to see simply how good he really is, and that has nothing to do along with his greatest 400-meter hurdle time.
I consider that it’s one in every of Rai’s greatest efforts.
Benefit from the interview. When an athlete and a author can mix for a typical aim, that’s, for this author, like working a near-perfect race.
I’ve to be sincere with you. My commentary of Rai Benjamin is that this. In his personal time, he’ll develop into the best 400-meter hurdler the world has ever seen. However, it’s his journey.
And he has many ten-hurdle races (to paraphrase poet Robert Frost) to go earlier than he sleeps.
I met with Rai Benjamin proper after his 400-meter hurdle race in Doha, Qatar. Catching his breath, Rai advised me, ” Look, I’ve simply had COVID once more, I took every week off and am jet lagged.” He ran a 47.78 to carry off a PB working CJ Allen, who ran 47.93.
“I will likely be racing the LA Grand Prix in three weeks and hope to run a lot sooner.”
And that’s the reason I’m on a aircraft on Could 24 to observe the USATF LA Grand Prix.
I wish to see Rai Benjamin run very quick over the 400-meter hurdles.
Particular due to Mike Deering for the post-interview manufacturing of the Interview.
