Rai Benjamin and Michael Norman storm to NCAA victory in record times
Rai Benjamin and Michael Norman moved to joint second and sixth on the world 400m hurdles and 400m all-time lists respectively on Friday, storming to record-breaking success at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
In wet conditions, USC's Benjamin clocked 47.02 to break the meet and collegiate record of 47.56 which had been set by Kerron Clement in 2005 and become the joint second fastest ever 400m hurdler behind world record-holder Kevin Young's 46.78.
Benjamin's time matches the mark Edwin Moses clocked in 1983.
LADIES & GENTLEMEN RAI BENJAMIN IS THE 🐐
COLLEGIATE RECORD ✅
MEET RECORD ✅
FACILITY RECORD ✅
FASTED TIME IN THE 🌎 ✅
2ND FASTEST TIME EVER ✅ pic.twitter.com/B7EsAXzSyK— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 9, 2018
That result came not long after Benjamin's fellow USC athlete Norman had flown around the track to smash the collegiate 400m record set by Fred Kerley last year and the Hayward Field record run by Michael Johnson in 1993, clocking 43.61 to move to sixth on the world all-time list.
Behind the 2016 world under-20 200m champion (pictured, top), Akeem Bloomfield also went sub-44 seconds with 43.94, while Nathon Allen clocked 44.13 in third.
4️⃣3️⃣.6️⃣1️⃣ INSANE!!! 😱😱😱 #ncaaTF pic.twitter.com/CmUxc1t8wv
— NCAA Track & Field (@NCAATrackField) June 9, 2018
Benjamin and Norman then ran the second and anchor legs respectively in the 4x400m relay as USC broke the NCAA record with 2:59.00 ahead of Texas A&M's 2:59.91 and LSU's 3:00.56.
The NCAA record in the 4x100m was also broken as Houston's quartet clocked 38.17.
Wisconsin's Oliver Hoare won the 1500m title in 3:44.77 ahead of Vincent Ciattei and Britain's 2017 champion Josh Kerr, both with 3:45.02.
Thursday's action at Hayward Field had seen Kansas' Sharon Lokedi win the 10,000m in 32:09.20 as six athletes finished inside the 30-year-old meeting record. That group included Britain's Alice Wright and Charlotte Taylor in fourth and fifth, running 32:17.92 and 32:17.95 respectively.
Kentucky's Tim Duckworth moved to third on the British all-time list with his winning score in the decathlon.
His 8336 points puts him behind only Daley Thompson and Dean Macey in the UK all-time rankings.
Duckworth joins world record-holder Ashton Eaton in being the only two athletes to have ever won NCAA decathlon and heptathlon titles in the same year.
His results included 8.01m in the long jump, 5.11m in the pole vault and 57.27m in the javelin.
» Full results can be found here
