By Paris, France – Rai Benjamin anchored the United States to a thrilling victory in the men’s 4×400-meter relay at the Paris Olympics on Saturday night, holding off a fierce challenge from Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo. The American team not only secured the gold medal but also set an Olympic record with their outstanding performance.
Benjamin, who earlier in the Games claimed gold in the 400-meter hurdles, showcased his versatility and speed once again. He prevented 200-meter champion Tebogo from adding another title to his name, in what was one of the most anticipated events of the evening.
The spotlight had been on Tebogo, the 21-year-old sprinting prodigy, after his sensational win in the 200 meters on Thursday, where he edged out American Kenny Bednarek, who took silver, and Noah Lyles, who tested positive for COVID-19, who secured the bronze.
The U.S. relay team, consisting of Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Rai Benjamin, completed the race in an impressive 2 minutes, 54.43 seconds. This time was nearly a second faster than the American team’s performance at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and just 0.14 seconds shy of the world record set by the U.S. in 1993.
Botswana, with a team that included Tebogo along with Bayapo Ndori, Busang Collen Kebinatshipi, and Anthony Pesela, finished a close second, just a tenth of a second behind the Americans.
Great Britain secured the bronze medal with a time of 2:55.83, rounding out the podium in what was a fiercely competitive race.
