TOKYO (AP) — American Rai Benjamin was declared the winner of the 400-meter hurdles at world championships Friday night after officials overrode an initial disqualification for slightly dislodging a hurdle in the lane next to him when he knocked over his own.
Benjamin was cruising to victory when he clipped the 10th and final hurdle. The contact moved the barrier in the lane to his left, but the runner in that lane — several steps behind — cleared it without a problem.
Some confusion followed, as Benjamin
was initially ruled disqualified. About a minute later, World Athletics undid the “DQ,” and Benjamin was walking around the track with a gold medal and wearing a gold crown.
He finished in 46.52 seconds to add the world title to the Olympic championship he took last year.
Femke Bol of The Netherlands defended her title in the women's race in a run of 51.54.
Benjamin had such a gap on 2022 world champion Alison dos Santos in the men's race that he won by .32 seconds despite knocking over the last barrier.
Abderrahman Samba of Qatar, whose 46.98 in 2018 was the first sub-47 time among this generation's talented crop of hurdlers, finished third. Karsten Warholm, who ran the world-record 45.94 to win the Olympics four years ago on this same track in Tokyo, ended up fifth this time.
America's Jasmine Jones posted a personal-best time of 52.08 to capture silver behind Bol while Emma Zapletalova beat Olympic runner-up Anna Cockrell to the line for bronze.
Dalilah Muhammad, the American 2016 Olympic and 2019 world champion, finished seventh in what she has said will be her last race.
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
