‘We needed this,’ gasp fans after Rai Benjamin’s 400m hurdles win as USA and China go neck-and-neck in gold medal battle
Team USA's Rai Benjamin has won gold in the 400-meter hurdles, three years after coming in second in Tokyo.
American fans have breathed a sigh of relief following the 2024 Paris Olympics race as USA's gold medal battle with China continues after Benjamin's stunning redemption run.
Benjamin won his first individual goal in his Olympic career.
He was neck-and-neck with Norway's Karsten Warholm before breaking away near the second-to-last hurdle.
Benjamin came in first after receiving a silver in the 400-meter at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - and he lost to Warholm.
With his gold, the US No. 1 total comes to 33 - and China has the same amount.
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Fans praised Benjamin for adding to the country's gold medal count.
"Thank you Rai Benjamin!! We needed this," one wrote on X.
"Brilliant run! Team USA has now tied Team China again for the most gold medals in these Olympics! Let's do this!" another commented.
"USA gets another gold medal. Much needed" a third stated.
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It was Benjamin's second gold as he was part of the 4x100-meter relay team that won in Tokyo.
The Mount Vernon, New York native and Warholm had shattered the 400-meter world record in those games.
Warholm came on top that year, but the duel wasn't done.
Benjamin beat Warholm with a 46:46 time.
The Norweigan got the silver and finished in 47:06, and Brazil's Alison dos Santos took home the bronze with a time of 47:26.
Benjamin's win gave the Americans a sweep of the event in Paris.
A day earlier, Team USA's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone won her second straight gold in the 400-meter hurdles.
Benjamin made even more history for the US.
His win made it four individual sprint gold medals in five events for the US.
The last time the American accomplished that feat was in the 1996 Atlanta Games.
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This year's accomplishments in the individual sprint events come after the 2020 Tokyo Games in which the men's team failed to earn a gold medal.
The US hopes to earn more gold medals from their basketball teams and the soccer team over the weekend.
