Rai Benjamin kicked off the summer of 2025 with a statement at the BAUHAUS‑Galan in Stockholm on June 15. He blitzed to a 46.54 s victory in the 400 m hurdles—a world-leading time, meeting record, and 10th-fastest ever—just edging out Alison dos Santos and Karsten Warholm. Building on his momentum, five days later, he traveled to Paris and delivered a dominant performance at the Meeting de Paris, smashing the meeting record once again with a 46.93s win over Abderrahman Samba. But at the Prefontaine Classic, a slight stumble cost him dearly. Benjamin missed out, and now, the track and field world can’t stop talking about the upset.

So, the narrative took a surprising turn for Rai at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 5. Here, Brazil’s Alison dos  Santos reversed their earlier battles by sprinting to a season-best 46.65 s, leaving Benjamin second in 46.71 s. This narrow defeat—Benjamin’s first loss this season—marked a pivotal moment, reshaping the competitive landscape just ahead of the World Championships. As for the fans, everyone has a view…

Noah Williams and Colin Waitzman sat down in the latest video of Track World News on July 6, 2025, to talk about Rai’s loss at the Prefontaine Classic. Speaking of the race Noah said, “that got me excited for worlds like holy s __ can Alison go win a world championship like how does Ryan respond I think there’s like four story lines that did this like you know what I mean like there’s like four different storylines that occur from this but from a competitive standpoint um that was so tense and I loved every second of it.” He is counting every possibility now that is defeated. He is thinking that Lison dos Santos can reclaim dominance and win the Worlds? Or is Rai gonna come back?

Waitzman chimed in, noting that Rai Benjamin’s loss was significant because he hadn’t been beaten in the 400 m hurdles since the 2023 Prefontaine Classic. But that wasn’t accurate. Benjamin actually won Prefontaine in 2023. His last major defeat came at the 2023 World Championships, where he was edged out. Colin must have been confused too, thinking the loss at Prefontaine had come at the hands of either Alison dos Santos or Karsten Warholm. Noah corrected him, saying if it were anyone, it would’ve been Alison—since Karsten was injured that year, if he remembered right.

A fan also confirmed it in the comments, pointing out exactly who had beaten Rai, “Warholm won 2023 off injury… he just want it more than these guys“. Karsten Warholm returned fiercely in 2023 after a hamstring injury derailed his season in 2022—finishing a rare seventh at the World Championships in Eugene—but bounced back with world-leading times (46.52s in Oslo, 46.51s in Monaco) and then claimed his third world title in Budapest with a composed 46.89s. This was the last defeat Rai Benjamin faced in the 400-meter hurdles before the 2025 Prefontaine Classic loss. Fans are now debating this loss:

The track and field community debates

The comment section of the YouTube video has already had some fans draw out their keyboard and debate over this. One fan commented, “Narrative on Rai always losing close races is incorrect; he’s won several close races recently, including holding off Tebogo in the 4×4, beating Warholm in Monaco (2024) and Pre (2023).” In Monaco on July 12, 2024, Benjamin powered past Warholm after the final hurdle to win in 46.67 s, just 0.06  ahead. One year earlier at the Prefontaine Classic (Eugene) on September 16, 2023, he delivered a masterclass by clocking 46.39 s—a Diamond League record—to beat Warholm (46.53) in a thrilling finish.

While everything the fan said checks out, he might not have understood the video, as another person replied to him, “Hurdles!!!!!, not open 400m. He’s lost almost every close hurdle race“. One can’t deny this either. Rai Benjamin has indeed fallen short in several razor-thin duels, often against Karsten Warholm: at the Tokyo Olympics on August 3, 2021, he ran an astonishing 46.17 s—fastest ever behind Warholm’s 45.94 world‑record finish—but still took silver. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest (August 23, 2023), he earned bronze in 47.56 s as Warholm surged for gold in 46.89 s.

One other fan entered this debate saying, “I feel ya, but he’s gotten better, and there is no other event with a top three like the men’s 400 meter hurdles. Warholm, dominated for a while, but that’s over. Every race is up for grabs between the big three.” Absolutely—today, the men’s 400 m hurdles is the battlefield where Warholm, Benjamin, and dos Santos consistently redefine excellence. Warholm may have dominated early in the season, like his stunning 32.67 s world best over 300 m hurdles at Oslo in June 2025, but Benjamin struck back just days later in Stockholm, launching to a 46.54s meeting record to top the trio. Dos Santos remains a constant threat too, locking down Diamond League titles and delivering sub‑47s regularly.

Citing his losses, one fan explained how situations were for Rai. He wrote, “The only time Rai won the 400h at a major Championship was Paris 2024. 2022 Warholm was hurt and he still lost to Dos Santos. 2023 Budapest he lost to Warholm coming back from injury and Kyron McMaster. He’s fast as- and arguably has the most talent in the field but recency bias has people thinking he’s untouchable.” Rai Benjamin delivered a monumental performance in the Paris 2024 Olympics, claiming his first individual gold in the men’s 400 m hurdles with a blistering 46.46s. What are your thoughts overall about it? Let us know.