"If it’s this close, I’m really dangerous!”- Rai Benjamin sends message to competitors after defeating world record holder Karsten Warholm in Monaco

Rai Benjamin has issued a statement of intent to his serial rivals Karsten Warholm and Alison Dos Santos ahead of their clash at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The trio met at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where Warholm took gold, with Benjamin and Dos Santos clinching silver and bronze respectively.

As they head to the Paris Olympics, with track and field events scheduled to begin on August 1, Rai Benjamin is confident of impressing.

The Tokyo Olympics silver medallist will be out to show the world his prowess, explaining that he has worked on the nitty gritty and is ready for the big show. This comes after Rai Benjamin stunned Dos Santos and Warholm at the Diamond League Meeting in Monaco.

The American clocked 46.67 seconds to win the race as Warholm and Dos Santos finished second and third in respective times of 46.73 and 47.18. Speaking in his post-race interview, Benjamin expressed confidence in repeating the same exploits on the purple track at the Stade de France, the venue for the Olympic Games.

"It feels really good and it shows me that I could get it done in that field and it’s going to be the same field, I’m sure of it in Paris, so just to come out here and get it done," Rai Benjamin said.

"Just staying in my own lane and not really worried about what’s going on too far ahead of me. I think I ran the back straight kind of sloppy but I was able to get back on it and like I said, if it’s close, I’m really dangerous because that’s the best part of my race just coming home," he added.

Benjamin noted that the Monaco Diamond League was preparing him for the main event and was glad to have experienced the atmosphere.

"Like I said in the press conference, it’s just a dress rehearsal for the main thing so just to come and see what the atmosphere would be like and what the race would feel like was very important to me and I’m happy that I got it done. I just have to stay close and trust myself and it’s going to be hard to beat me them couple of hurdles coming home," he added.

Rai Benjamin strikes world lead to punch ticket to Paris 2024 Olympic Games at U.S. Olympic trials

2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field - Day 10

Rai Benjamin clocked a world-leading time to claim top honors in the men’s 400m Hurdles final at the U.S. Olympic trials.

The 26-year-old oozed class as he clocked 46.46 to win the race ahead of CJ Allen and Trevor Bassit who finished second and third in 47.81 and 47.82.

"Now we got to turn it up a little bit, get ready to go to another stratosphere. Because I assume it's going to be a fast race, and I want to be prepared to go to the deep end when I have to," Rai Benjamin said after the race.

Punching his ticket to Paris, Benjamin intends to improve on his silver medal and dethrone Karsten Warholm, the reigning champion and the 400m Hurdles world record holder.

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games will be his second, after making a statement in his debut at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.