Rai Benjamin is not only a standout sprinter for Mount Vernon, NY, whom he represented while winning the New Balance Nationals Indoor 400m in March. The UCLA signee is a dual citizen of Antigua & Barbuda, making him eligible to represent the island nation in the annual Carifta Games.
He qualified for the finals of the Boys Under 20 400m with a preliminary time of 47.55. But the finals featured Jamaican Akeem Bloomfield, who gained fame just last week in smashing the National Junior Record with 44.93 at the Jamaican National Championship.
Benjamin more than represented well in the finals, racing 46.19 to challenge Bloomfield and finish runner-up to the Jamaican star's 45.85. Both athletes broke the Meet Record, as did third placer Henri Deluze of the Bahamas (46.81). Benjamin's ranks him US #1 and NY #3 All-Time.
Brenessa Thompson (Medgar Evers, NY) clocked 11.81 in the prelims of the Girls Under 20 100m, but a nagging injury kept her out of the final. Twins Ariel Strunkey and Arianne Strunkey of Taft, NY ran 24.04 and 24.13, respectively, in the Girls Under 20 prelims of the 200m. Ariel will race in the finals on Monday night.
Stay tuned for full results from the Carifta Games, which concludes on Monday, April 6.