Team USA’s Rai Benjamin has solidified his place in Olympic history, clinching gold in both the Men’s 400m Hurdles and the 4x400m relay at the Paris Games.
He followed this individual triumph by contributing to Team USA’s victory in the 4x400m relay, securing his second gold medal of the games.
Benjamin’s path to Olympic glory is made more remarkable by his unique heritage.
Born in New York to Winston Keithroy Matthew Benjamin, a former Antiguan cricketer who played 21 Tests and 85 One Day Internationals for the West Indies, Rai initially represented Antigua and Barbuda in international competitions as well.
Unable to compete for Team USA at the time despite his wishes,, his first appearance for Antigua and Barbuda came in 2013 at the World Youth Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine, when he was still in high school in the US.
He went on to represent Antigua twice more in 2015 at the Carifta Games in St. Kitts and Nevis as well as the World Relays in the Bahamas.
In recognition of his roots and achievements, the Antigua and Barbuda government appointed Benjamin as a cultural and sporting ambassador in 2022.
