At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, American 400-meter hurdler Kevin Young won the gold medal in a world record time of 46.78 seconds. Young became the first man to break the 47-second barrier, a feat that remained unattained until 2018.
The era of Young will come to an end with the Tokyo Olympics in about 30 years. I wouldn’t even have won a medal.In the past three years alone, what was once the longest world record in men’s track and field may have disappeared from the top 20 of all-time.
“Generation” is an overused word, but three talents represent perhaps the greatest rivalry in track and field. Reigning Olympic and World Champion Karsten Warholm of Norway, five-time American champion Rai Benjamin, and 2022 World Champion Allison dos Santos of Brazil have all smashed records and raised the barrier of greatness in this notoriously grueling one-lap race. Even taking into account advancements in track surfaces, training methods, diets, medications, shoes, etc., they have separated themselves from their peers at unprecedented levels.
Warholm, Benjamin and dos Santos will be competing in an Olympic rematch and their sixth major championship together, and as in Tokyo, they will almost certainly be medal winners in Paris, but this time the placements are up in the air.
The three fastest men of all time
Karsten Warholm is not only an Olympic champion and a three-time world champion, but also holds the world record of 45.94 seconds, set in that legendary Tokyo final. Rai Benjamin clocked the second-fastest time ever at 46.17 seconds and had to settle for one of the most amazing silver medal performances we’ve ever seen. Allison dos Santos took the bronze medal in 46.72 seconds, a major personal best at the time, to claim her first medal at a senior world championships. Dos Santos beat Benjamin and Warholm (7th) in an astounding 46.29 seconds when she went on to win the 2022 world championships in Oregon.
Of the 30 fastest times in the event, 28 were recorded by this trio; the other two were Kevin Young and Qatar’s Abdelrahman Samba.
Expanding to the top 50, legendary former Olympic and world champion (and former world record holder) Edwin Moses appears four times, and Warholm, Benjamin and dos Santos appear 39 times. Taking ties into account, technically there are 41 of the top 52 names.
Karsten Warholm is overwhelmingly powerful
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Photo: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Notable Achievements: Olympic champion, 3x world champion, 3x European champion, 2x Diamond League champion, world record holder (45.94 seconds)
Fastest time in 2024: 46.70 seconds (May 30, Diamond League Oslo)
At 28, Warholm is the oldest, most experienced and by far the best of the group, having broken Kevin Young’s record in 46.70 seconds in Oslo just before the last Olympics. Defeats Dos SantosHe won his first world title on a rainy London night in 2017. At the time, neither dos Santos nor Benjamin had ever competed in a senior tournament.
Warholm, a former youth decathlete, may not have the 122-win streak of Edwin Moses, but he’s found a unique way to establish dominance. From 2019-2021, Warholm was a perfect 22-0 in the 400-meter hurdles, winning his second world title and first Olympic gold medal in that span.
Watching Warholm race, you’d be forgiven for thinking he was running a 200-meter race: he uses aggressive tactics from the starting blocks, picks up speed around the turn to take the lead, then uses his momentum to pass his rivals while maintaining his stride pattern and hurdling technique to power his way to the finish line.
Warholm is also known for his post-race Viking helmet to commemorate his world title wins, as well as his pre-race yells and self-praise. He told reporters in 2020: “It’s to get the adrenaline going and make me feel good,” he says. Clearly, it works for him; he’s been a master of the craft for the better part of eight years.
Alison Dos Santos is an inspirational sensation
Notable Achievements: World Champion, Diamond League Champion, Pan American Games Champion
Fastest time in 2024: 46.63 seconds (May 30, Diamond League Oslo)
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Photo by Michael Kappeler/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
Dos Santos’ story is as heartbreaking as it is inspiring: the Brazilian nearly lost his life as a toddler when he knocked over a frying pan full of hot oil at his grandmother’s house. He was hospitalized for several months He suffered third-degree burns and still has scars across his head, left arm and chest.
Initially, dos Santos competed in judo, but it eventually became too expensive for his parents to financially support. At the age of 14, dos Santos was persuaded to switch to athletics and hasn’t looked back since.
Dos Santos won medals at regional and world youth championships, setting South American under-20 records in the process, winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the Pan American Games at just 19 years old and finishing a very respectable seventh in a strong field at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar.
Following his bronze medal in Tokyo, dos Santos was poised to make a breakthrough in 2022. Coming into the World Championships in Eugene undefeated, he breezily qualified and set up a rematch with his main rivals. After Warholm dropped back spectacularly in the final 100 meters, it was a race between dos Santos and Benjamin to see who would become the first world champion. At 6’7″, dos Santos pulled away smoothly to become the first Brazilian to win an Olympic or world championship track and field gold medal since 1984 800m champion Joaquin Cruz.
“I’ve changed a lot about my race.” He said after the win:“I worked hard to become faster. I improved my speed and my technique in jumping over hurdles.”
Surgery to repair a torn meniscus put dos Santos’s dreams of winning a world title in 2023 in serious jeopardy. Incredibly, he recovered to reach the final but crashed into two of the final three 36-inch barriers and finished in fourth place.
Dos Santos has overcome many obstacles in life to become a top athlete, but at 24 years old, her best years are theoretically ahead of her.
Rye Benjamin is in the best shape of his life.
Notable Achievements: NCAA Champion, Olympic Champion (4x400m Relay), 2x World Champion (4x400m Relay), 5x U.S. Champion, 2023 Diamond League Champion
Fastest time in 2024: 46.46 seconds (June 30, US Olympic Trials)
The 27-year-old former USC Trojan is the latest in a long line of American 400-meter hurdle standouts. All that’s left is the elusive individual gold medal. He’s won three gold medals as part of Team USA’s 4×400-meter relay teams, but he’s had the misfortune of his great hurdle performances being beaten by even better competitors. All three times, he finished with silver, losing to either dos Santos or Warholm, and at last year’s world championships in Hungary, he finished with bronze, losing to Warholm and Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands. He was very annoyedBenjamin was heavily impacted by COVID-19 in 2022 and spent much of the year dealing with a hamstring issue.
Benjamin is yet to lose this year, finishing off her pre-Olympic preparations last month by beating Warholm and dos Santos in a world-leading time of 46.46 seconds at the Diamond League meet in Monaco. Benjamin joined the starting list late and even said she was tired from the travel.
“It was kind of hard to decide because it’s so far away,” Benjamin said. “I had bad jet lag yesterday. I slept all day. I came here tired and I’m happy to have won today.”
Not only is Benjamin a great hurdler, he’s also incredibly well-rounded. His open 400m personal best of 44.21 is considerably faster than most and he’s also run sub-20 seconds in the 200m. Being a longtime training partner of Team USA’s Michael Norman certainly helps. Norman is the 400m World Champion and one of the few hurdlers to ever run under 44 seconds in the 400m, under 20 seconds in the 200m (including a win over the nearly unbeatable Noah Lyles) and under 10 seconds in the 100m. From what he’s seen over the past few months, Benjamin is a man on a mission to finally achieve what he’s been working so hard for.
Who is going to Paris?
There are signs that Warholm’s tight grip on the 400m hurdles is loosening. Even if we accept that his seventh-place finish at the 2022 World Championships was a side effect of a torn hamstring he suffered just six weeks ago, his recent results have been impressive. Since winning his third world title in 2023, he has lost four consecutive Diamond League races, two to Benjamin, one to dos Santos, and one to Kyron McMaster (who, incidentally, is one of the few athletes who could turn the tide and win a medal).
Doubting Warholm would be at your own peril, given his illustrious resume and reputation. On current form, this may finally be Benjamin’s year. Dos Santos is a contender to watch, given his world title shot in 2022 and his dramatic win over Warholm in Oslo back in May.
It’s no exaggeration to say that this trio of 400-meter hurdlers is the best rivalry in athletics. If they all make it through the heats on August 5 and the semifinals on August 7, their showdown at the Stade de France on August 9 will be the best race of the Olympics. Don’t be surprised if they need another world record to win the gold medal.
