Rai Benjamin's Hunt For Olympic Glory Goes Down To The Wire

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The sudden roar you might have heard just before 11:30 p.m. was emanating from living rooms across the Hudson Valley as fans cheered on Rai Benjamin's race toward immortality in Tokyo.

The hopes of a nation and the Olympic dreams of a Mount Vernon alumnus came down to a single heat Monday night. Benjamin brought home the silver for Team USA, with a time of 46.17 and being edged out by rival Karsten Warholm from Norway who finished with a time of 45.94.

Benjamin's road to the medal stand was no less dramatic than the final heat that aired late Monday night in his hometown.

He became a favorite to win the event after qualifying for Tokyo by winning by more than 1 second in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon with a time of 46.83. His time was .05 seconds away from the world record time set nearly three decades ago.

Benjamin was slightly off his near record setting speed in Round 1 of the Men’s 400-meter hurdles in Tokyo. He still managed to capture first place with a time of 48.60.

"I worked for this all, all my life," Benjamin told NBC following his first Olympic heat. “I finally got to get into the blocks and get that first run out of the way, so it feels amazing.”

In the semi-finals heat, Benjamin finished just behind his main competition in Tokyo, Warholm, who finished in first place with a time of 47.30. Benjamin came in a close second finishing with a time of 47.37.

When it really mattered, Benjamin showed he still had plenty of gas in the tank, giving Warholm an extraordinarily tight race.

The stands were mostly empty in the Olympic stadium because of coronavirus concerns, but the sounds of fans cheering on a local man performing at the highest level on the world stage from in front of television sets in Mount Vernon managed to make a race halfway around the world feel like a shared moment in history.