WALNUT: Rai Benjamin, the 400m hurdles Olympic silver medallist, delivered a convincing 400m win in 44.42sec on Saturday at the Mt. SAC relays where fellow American Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone returned to competition for the first time since July.
Benjamin, who is also an Olympic gold medallist and two-time World champion in the 4x400m relay, easily won the 400m as he ramps up preparations for the Paris Olympics, where he’ll be targeting in dividual 400m hurdles gold after being edged out by Norway’s Karsten Warholm in a scintillating final in Tokyo.
Meanwhile McLaughlin-Levrone, the world record-holder and Tokyo Olympic gold medallist in the women’s 400m hurdles, made a low-key return to the track for the first time since last July, after a knee injury saw her withdraw from the World Championships in Budapest in August.
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McLaughlin-Levrone lined up for the 4x100m relay at the meeting featuring school, college and elite athletes at Mt. San Antonio College east of Los Angeles.
Her “Team Kersee,” led by US coach Bob Kersee, finished runner up in 42.92sec to an international quartet led by Great Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith (42.03).
Asher-Smith then took third place in the 200m in 22.80sec, the race won by Saint Lucian sprinter Julian Alfred in 22.58sec ahead of Ireland’s Rhasidat Adeleke in 22.61.
The top three finishers train together in Austin, Texas.
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