By Madeline Ryan, University of Oregon SOJC Track Bureau
Brazil’s Alison dos Santos entered the World Athletics Championships 400-meter hurdles final on Tuesday as the favorite, undefeated all season. He didn’t let that reputation go to waste.
The 22-year-old crossed the finish line in a smooth 46.29-second personal best and opened his arms, grinning up to the crowd at Hayward Field. He took a bow.
“When I passed the line and saw that six, I was like “Ohhh, that is amazing,’” he said. “I was so, so, so happy for that. And I know that I can run faster than that. I’m just proud and excited, and I want to run again.”
Dos Santos broke the 28-year-old championship record, 47.18, set by America’s Kevin Young in He also became the first Brazilian to win a gold medal at a world championship.
The race was destined to have a show-stopping conclusion, no matter who won. World-record holder, Olympic champion and previous world champion Karsten Warholm was back to defend his title as the best in the world. But he knew it wouldn’t be easy — American Rai Benjamin and dos Santos had finished right behind him at the Olympic final last summer, taking silver and bronze, in what is regarded as the strongest 400-meter hurdles in history.
The season, however, had not set up Warholm or Benjamin for success. At his first meet of the year, Warholm had hobbled off the track with a hamstring tear. The last six weeks were spent doing rehab to recover rather than training for optimal fitness.
“I didn’t feel anything from the injury, but I could feel it on my fitness level. I got a lot of lactic and once the lactic hits, you know then there’s no coming back. I can tell you that,” he said with a grimace. He finished in seventh place, in 48.42.
Benjamin was also trying to get healthy. He had battled high tendonitis in his hamstring all season and missed three weeks of training in June after struggling to recover completely from COVID-19.
His tendonitis, which is concentrated in his lead leg, popped up again during the final.
“Going into the backstretch, it lit up. It hurt a lot,” Benjamin said. “But I heard the crowd erupt, ‘USA, USA,’ and it just helped me dig a little bit deeper and run home. So I’m grateful.”
Despite his pain, Benjamin finished in a season-best 46.89 to get another silver medal. And his American teammate, Trevor Bassitt — who was running for Division II Ashland University just a few months ago then finished second at the U.S. championships to make the world team — finished in a personal best of 47.39.
Benjamin took particular pride in Bassitt. When the results of the race went up on the board, Benjamin put his hands on his head in surprise and then leapt over to Bassitt. Benjamin grabbed Bassitt in celebration, pulling him down to the track and shaking his shoulders as Bassitt folded, breathless but laughing.
“The kid is amazing,” Benjamin said. “I’m just happy to be his teammate and bring him alongside. He ran a hell of a race at USAs, he ran a hell of a race here today. I was more happy for him than I was for myself.”
Benjamin said he will undergo a more invasive surgery to help his tendonitis soon and will be out for the rest of the season to heal and do “aggressive rehab.”
Dos Santos, on the other hand, is ready for more. He knows his competitors today will be back to challenge him, and he’ll have to be ready.
“I know that Warholm and Benjamin are faster than me. They are really faster than me,” he said. “I had to focus on my race to be the world champion, to beat those guys. And to just have fun and enjoy the moment and have fun on the track.”
