Benjamin Wins World 400m Hurdles in Tokyo as DQ Overturned

Rai Benjamin won the men’s 400 meter hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Friday, clocking a season best 46.52 seconds, but the victory was overshadowed by a brief disqualification that was overturned after a video review. Benjamin crossed the line first from lane seven, then was initially removed from the results when officials judged that his clipped final hurdle had displaced the barrier in the adjacent lane and impeded Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel. A video judge later concluded the contact did not affect the outcome and reinstated Benjamin within minutes.

Benjamin’s performance delivered his first world championship gold in the event one year after winning Olympic gold in Paris. He held a clear lead by the second bend and still finished more than three tenths ahead despite knocking the tenth hurdle with his front leg. Alison dos Santos of Brazil took silver in 46.84 and Abderrahman Samba of Qatar earned bronze in 47.06. Nathaniel finished fourth in a Nigerian record 47.11, while Karsten Warholm of Norway, the Tokyo Olympic champion and world record holder, faded to fifth in 47.58 after clipping an early obstacle.

The disqualification cited World Athletics...