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 file 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 talent had been simply an excessive amount of for Tebogo to beat.
It’s necessary 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 ultimate and reaching the highest.
This interview is from March 2023; please take pleasure in!
This interview was performed in March 2023. As prior to now six pre-pandemic years, International Athletics & Advertising and marketing had the forethought to place collectively a few days of interviews for among the monitor and discipline’s world media. Twenty-six athletes gave interviews to a bunch of latest, 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 displays.
RunBlogRun sincerely believes {that a} media wealthy in variety is important to the success of our sport. For instance, the assorted approaches to bespoke monitor meets in the course of the pandemic and the unimaginable variety in streaming video have enriched our sport.
RunBlogRun has been, since 2006, most lucky to work with over 40 writers and photographers, bringing new views into the game, but in addition on a platform that offers probably the most enthusiastic of media a worldwide platform.
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In that gentle, we ask you to look at 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. Once I spoke with Rai in March 2023, we had not chatted since 2019. I requested Rai to supply some context concerning the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, the Eugene 2022 World Championships, and his present state of well being and health.
What resulted is likely 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 identified affectionately because the Brian Lenton methodology. Brian is a tremendous 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 discuss went the place it went.
Eugene, Oregon, USA
July 15-26 2022, picture by Kevin Morris
I ought to name my methodology the developed Lenton methodology. No booze, and sure, tons of studying previous to the interview, however the interview grows organically. On this case, with Rai, he’s clearly snug with an interview. Rai is aware of I really like the game, and he is aware of the questions could have him method an occasion differently, maybe than he has earlier than.
My plan was to try to respect the challenges introduced to Rai Benjamin in 2021 and 2022 with sickness, damage and the challenges of being one of many two best athletes on the planet in your occasion.
In one of many questions, you might 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, at the moment, shouldn’t be generally discovered. On this author’s estimation, Rai Benjamin is on a journey to see simply how good he actually is, and that has nothing to do along with his finest 400-meter hurdle time.
I consider that it’s certainly one of Rai’s finest efforts.
Benefit from the interview. When an athlete and a author can mix for a typical purpose, that’s, for this author, like working a near-perfect race.
I’ve to be sincere with you. My remark of Rai Benjamin is that this. In his personal time, he’ll grow to be 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 informed 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 probably be racing the LA Grand Prix in three weeks and hope to run a lot quicker.”
And that’s the reason I’m on a aircraft on Could 24 to look at 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.
