Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin lit up the track with his performance at the Stockholm Diamond League, but it was his hilarious reaction to a race-day ritual that stole the spotlight.
The American hurdler was caught on camera visibly struggling to put on his race bib. A moment that quickly made the rounds online. In response, Benjamin took to social media with a playful jab at the situation.
“Traumatic experience dawg omg save me.”
But this wasn’t just a fleeting moment of frustration. Benjamin has been making headlines throughout the 2024 track and field season for boycotting bibs altogether. In his opening two races of the season, including a stellar 46.64 win at the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix, he ran without one deliberately.
In one of the interviews , Benjamin explained his stance:
“I’m not wearing that thing. It’s a waste of money and the uniform looks too good to wear a bib, so I’m continuing my no-bib campaign here today.”
The 400m hurdles star is not alone in his sentiments. Sprint icon Michael Johnson voiced a similar opinion in 2023, telling The New York Times.
“When an athlete is trying to focus on performing at their best, the bibs are a distraction… It just reeks of amateurism.”
Despite the backlash from some elite athletes, race bibs remain a non-negotiable requirement at World Athletics-sanctioned events. They’re vital for identification, live tracking, and generating sponsorship revenue. According to World Athletics competition rules, bibs must be worn as issued, unaltered and fully visible, or athletes risk disqualification.
Meanwhile, Rai Benjamin stole the show at Stockholm winning the 400m hurdles ahead of his fierce rivals, Alison dos Santos from Brazil and Karsten Warholm from Norway. He clocked 46.54 seconds to settle the discussion between the three stars.