Gold Medalist Rai Benjamin Will Be Honored With Hometown Motorcade

MOUNT VERNON, NY — An Olympic hero will make a triumphant return to his alma mater on Tuesday to celebrate gold medal victories at the Paris Olympic Games.

Rai Benjamin, a Mount Vernon High School alum, will be honored in Mount Vernon with a motorcade celebrating his Olympic gold medals in the 400-meter hurdles and 4 X 400-meter relay.

The updated schedule of events for Tuesday:

8:50 a.m.: Guests Arrive & Breakfast Opens (Mount Vernon HS)
9:00 a.m.: Rai Benjamin Arrives
8:45 a.m.-9:15 a.m.: Meet and Greet
9:15 a.m.: Speeches
9:30 a.m.: Reveal of Wall of Fame MVHS
9:35 a.m.: Load Motorcade to Track
9:45 a.m.: Track Renaming Ceremony and Ribbon Cutting
9:55 a.m. MVHS Student Meeting and Greet
10:15 a.m.: Motorcade Through City Begins
1:00 p.m.: Arrives Memorial Field
1:10 p.m.: Mayor’s Event begins with proclamations and speeches.

Police, fire trucks and city vehicles will join Benjamin, students and city officials in the motorcade.

In the Tokyo games, Benjamin fell just short of gold in the 400-meter hurdles, coming in just behind rival Karsten Warholm from Norway who finished with a record time of 45.94. Three years later, in Paris, the roles were reversed, and Benjamin took the top spot on the podium with Warholm taking the bronze this time.