- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Mets advance on Lindor grand slam, Yankees and Tigers win
- Taiwan President Lai vows to 'resist annexation' of island
- China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Zelensky on whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
- One year later, Israeli hostage family learns of loss
- Texans receiver Collins, Pats' safety Peppers out for NFL clash
Olympic champion Benjamin finally gets the measure of arch foe Warholm
Rai Benjamin finally claimed a maiden global title after three previous silver medals and a bronze, defeating old rival Karsten Warholm in the Olympic 400m hurdles final.
Five years after first being beaten into second by Warholm in the 2019 world championship final, the American belatedly snared his prey on Friday.
The amiable 27-year-old son of former West Indian cricketer Winston Benjamin laid to rest his image as a perennial bridesmaid, breaking Warholm's psychological hold over him in major finals.
Benjamin had been the runner-up to Warholm on three major occasions, in the 2019 and 2023 world championships, then running the race of his life to break the previous world record in the Tokyo Olympics, only to finish behind the Norwegian.
Benjamin, who switched allegiance from Antigua and Barbuda to the United States prior to the 2019 world championships, had long accepted that his life would not be smooth.
"The grass is never greener," he told Olympic.com last year.
"No matter how prepared you are, there's always something that's going to pop up and it's how you deal with those bumps in the road that define you as an athlete."
The political science graduate, born in New York, dedicates much of his success to his mother Jeanette Mason, who brought him up as a single mum after they returned from a spell in Antigua.
"My mum has been there every step of the way," he said.
Mason said she could see early on that her son could be something special.
"You speak life into your child -– dreams, aspirations," she told Rockland/Westchester News in July.
She admitted, though, that at one point she worried about him.
"I honestly thought he had ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
"I was always praying there'd be something he could put his energy into."
It was never going to be cricket, despite finding legendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara "hypnotic to watch", as his father says Benjamin was "absolutely crappy" at playing it.
- 'Fall into success' -
Instead, he took to the track and it has brought him a "comfortable" lifestyle.
That includes a Lamborghini and a bicycle he dubs the 'Ferrari' of bikes, but Benjamin still plays down the significance of what he does for a living.
"I just run and go home," he told Rockland/Westchester News.
"I'm not doing anything super important. I'm not saving lives.
"I just run in circles for people's enjoyment. I'm not putting my life at risk at all. It's entertainment."
Benjamin follows a strict routine before races, often listening to the soundtrack from the film 'Interstellar'.
"Specifically, the 'Interstellar' soundtrack," he told KSL Sport in July.
"You walk out, you're on the track, and all my senses get higher.
"I smell better. I see better. The gun goes off, and that's where the magic starts."
When the season is over, Benjamin likes to take to the roads where he lives in California to ride his bike.
Despite the danger of a possible accident, he got permission from his coach to buy the bike.
"I wanted to challenge myself down a different alley, get away from the running," he told Citiusmag last December.
"Whenever people ask me what I do outside of track, like, do I do anything for fun? -– my answer was always 'No, not really... I get home and play ('Call of Duty' video game) 'War Zone'.
"After a while it gets kind of weird telling other people that I just go home and play video games."
Time will tell whether his long-awaited triumph propels Benjamin into a period of dominance, but he can always fall back on his mantra.
"I always say, chase excellence, chase perfection -- and if you fall, you fall into success."
M.Fischer--AMWN