Dos Santos Reclaims Momentum With a Season-Best Win Over Benjamin in Eugene

Dos Santos Reclaims Momentum With a Season-Best Win Over Benjamin in Eugene

The men’s 400-meter hurdles in recent times has seen the best of rivalry in track and field. It’s also become one of the most anticipated showdowns, thanks to a trio of stars who have dominated the event over the last five years. But in Eugene this past weekend, only two of them were on the start line: Alison dos Santo and Rai Benjamin. Karsten Warholm, the world record holder, was missing, but the race did not lack quality or tension.

Dos Santos, back on the same Hayward Field track where he won the world title in 2022, looked calm before the gun. He hadn’t beaten Benjamin in a while, and coming into Saturday’s meet, the head-to-head record leaned heavily in Benjamin’s favor which was 10 wins to Dos Santos’ two. The odds weren’t in his favor, but he lined up with the kind of focus that hints at a bigger target down the road.

When the race started, Benjamin got out hard, as he often does. His stride pattern clicked smoothly over the first three hurdles. Dos Santos was more measured. He stayed composed down the backstretch, trailing slightly but never losing touch. By the time they hit hurdle seven, the gap narrowed. At hurdle nine, they were even. Off the final barrier, Dos Santos leaned hard and surged. His time, 46.65 seconds, was his fastest of the season and enough to hold off Benjamin, who finished in 46.71.

It wasn’t a blowout. But it didn’t need to be.

This win mattered for more than what it looked like on paper. For Dos Santos, it was a reminder of what he’s capable of when healthy and in rhythm. Since his breakout in 2021, when he won Olympic bronze in Tokyo, Dos Santos has been the third name in a three-man rivalry. Warholm has the record, Benjamin the Olympic silver and a long list of sub-47 performances. But Dos Santos has something neither has done this year which is a win over Benjamin.

What makes Dos Santos compelling is his ability to stay present. He rarely overreaches early in races, but always finds something down the stretch. That mindset helped him to gold in 2022 and appears to be coming back at the right time. If Warholm is indeed waiting for the world championships in Tokyo, then Saturday’s Prefontaine Classic offered a look at what could be a very different pecking order by September.

There was also a new presence in the field: Ezekiel Nathaniel of Nigeria. At 21, Nathaniel is still learning what it takes to compete against the world’s best. But his third-place finish in 47.88, off the back of his NCAA title in a stunning 47.49, puts him in an elite group. Only four men have run faster than him this year, and all of them have medals on their shelves. His poise in the last 100 meters showed that he doesn’t need much more time to be a factor on the global stage.

The race also signaled that the podium in Tokyo may not be as settled as it once seemed. Benjamin has long been seen as Warholm’s closest challenger. He remains consistent, tough, and supremely talented. But Dos Santos’ win here pushes the conversation forward. The Brazilian now holds three victories over Benjamin, each coming at a different point in their careers. This one came after a difficult 2023 season, which saw Dos Santos spend months recovering from a knee injury. He’s clearly found another gear.

After the race, Dos Santos didn’t say much. His smile did most of the talking. He knows one win doesn’t rewrite the entire narrative, but it does shift the energy. This wasn’t a Diamond League Final or a world championship, but it was a big race in front of a big crowd. It was his first win over Benjamin since 2022, and it came on U.S. soil. That detail matters.

Track and field can be unforgiving. One off race, and a season can slip away. One strong performance, and momentum returns. Dos Santos will head into the second half of the year with belief and a clearer view of the path ahead. If Warholm and Benjamin are circling September, then so is he. He now carries more than form. He carries proof.