How hurdler Rai Benjamin made cricketer father Winston proud at Tokyo Olympics

Rai Benjamin broke the world record on his way to a silver medal in the 400 metre hurdles race at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.

At 46.17 seconds, the 24-year old American athlete finished only 0.23 seconds behind the Norwegian gold medallist Karsten Warholm, who also broke his own world record of 46.7 seconds set only last month in Oslo. Warholm clocked 45.94s in Tokyo 2020.

Rai had clocked 46.83 seconds in the USA trials in June, getting tantalisingly close to the then long-time world record of 46.78 set by Kevin Young way back in 1992. 

“If I would have broken the world record, what would I have done in Tokyo? It’s just more fuel for the fire, man, I can run so much faster,” Rai had remarked.

The hurdler shares his love for speed with his father. When in school, the New York-born Rai had also dabbled in the game of cricket. But he wanted to be a batsman then, unlike his father Winston Benjamin, who played international cricket as a fast bowler for the West Indies.

The 56-year old Benjamin played 21 Test matches and 85 one-day international matches for the West Indies in an international cricket career that stretched from 1986 to 1995. 

He also had a long first-class career in domestic cricket in the Caribbean and in England. While his primary skill was fast bowling, Benjamin senior was not a bad batsman at all, having to his credit two centuries and 21 half-centuries in first-class cricket.

Daddy Benjamin, who is based in Antigua, had said earlier that his son’s cricket skills were “absolutely crappy”. But the former cricketer likes to watch Rai run; his son’s “graceful and joyful” strides make him feel younger.

According to his father, Rai was free to choose what he wanted to do as he grew up, playing American football as a quarterback before a college coach saw his talent for the track.

Rai himself says he is not a cricket person although he found Brian Lara, the great former West Indies batsman, “hypnotic to watch.”

Despite playing at the top level for many years, Winston Benjamin didn’t quite do justice to his immense potential. The last time he met Rai, he said the two had a conversation where he shared his experience of dealing with success and failure as an international sportsperson.

“We might have played different games, but there are things that are common in every sport, and he won’t commit the mistakes that I have in mine,” Winston had told The Indian Express.

“If he wins a medal, Antigua will celebrate as much as America,” Winston Benjamin had added.

Rai didn’t let his father down in Tokyo, winning a medal and shattering the world record too.