Track is the most exciting sport in the Olympic games. No disrespect to swimming or gymnastics, but track is the pinnacle of the Games.
On Monday night, the men’s 400m hurdle finals proved that point.
Heading into the Tokyo Games, Norway’s Karsten Warholm held the world record at 46.7 seconds. His fiercest competition was Team USA’s Rai Benjamin, who clocked a 46.83 at the US Olympic Trials this past June.
The two sprinters, only 25 and 24 respectively, took to the track in the 400m hurdles final and gave us all the race of a lifetime. One that we should all be talking about for years to come.
Warholm entered the blocks in lane 6. Benjamin in lane 5.
The buildup and anticipation, even this late on the east coast, was evident. Track fans could felt the electricity surge as “set” was called. And when the gun sounded, we knew this was going to be special.
The 400m hurdles is one lap of full hell, made even more painful by ten unforgiving hurdles.
But to Warholm and Benjamin, they might have well have been street curbs because they bounded over each one without breaking stride.
As they headed into the final turn, Warholm maintained the lead he blazed out to. But Benjamin made up some ground, took the turn, and sling-shotted out with a kick for the final 100m.
The only obstacles remaining on that long straightaway were two final hurdles, and Benjamin was less than a stride away from the world record holder.
But Warholm remained defiant, and the race leader refused to let Benjamin catch him. That set up, arguably, the most thrilling final 100 meters in any race in recent memory.
“The world has never seen a run like that before!” exclaimed Leigh Diffey.
Track fans remember the stunning, come-from-behind win by the USC women in the 4x400m relay in 2018. They were a distant third and had absolutely no chance to catch Purdue. But in the final 100 meters, Kendall Ellis reeled in Purdue’s anchor leg and passed her at the line. And I mean literally right at the line.
That improbable finish gave the Trojans the race win and the NCAA title.
In this year’s men’s Olympic 400m hurdles final, Warholm and Benjamin surpassed the excitement of USC’s win as it was on the Olympic stage and both men broke Warholm’s world record.
Warholm set a new world record of 45.94. Benjamin took second at 46.17 and Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos took third at 46.72. They were so fast that Dos Santos was .02 seconds off of the previous world record and took bronze.
This race embodied the greatness of track. These two men gave us a rivalry, a storyline, excitement, and a thrilling finish that wasn’t determined until the very end. They displayed a mental and physical toughness that those outside of the sport don’t understand.
Warholm earned that win and record, but Benjamin pushed him to accomplish it. He took Benjamin’s challenge and let it propel him to a mind-blowing result. And Warholm did the same for Benjamin, pushing him past his previous limit to break a former world record and earn a silver medal.
Unless you’ve felt the pain of a 400m sprint, you can’t comprehend the effort and feats those men gave us.
But those of us who love track, and do track, understand.
And that’s why track will always be the pinnacle of every Olympic Games.
