400m Hurdles World Champion Stripped of Gold Medal Before Shock Twist

There was a dramatic moment involving Team USA star Rai Benjamin at the World Athletics Championships.

With just a few days left of the world championships in Tokyo, Japan, medals are being handed out left, right and centre.

On Friday evening, the men's 400m hurdles final took place, with American star Benjamin winning ahead of Brazil's Alison Dos Santos and Qatar's Abderrahman Samba.

However, shortly after the final, it was reported that Benjamin had been disqualified after knocking down his final hurdle, which in turn displaced another athlete's hurdle.

Speaking on the BBC at the time, three-time world heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis-Hill said: "For me, that seems compeltly insane. He hit the barrier but not on purpouse, it wouldn't afffect the stadings of the race at the end of the day. The athlete who is affected still clears the hurdle.

"I feel this is very unfair if he is going to lose his world title for that mistake. Obviously the USA will appeal this."

RAI BENJAMIN HAS BEEN DISQUALIFIED! ❌

"Now he's like the guy who has remembered he's still wearing a Christmas party hat and it's January 20th!"#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/OaFUrY4R3j

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) September 19, 2025

Minutes after his disqualification, Benjamin was reinstated as the gold medalist after an appeal.

The BBC stated: "What a rollercoaster few minutes for USA's Rai Benjamin - his 400m hurdles world title has now been reinstated following an appeal.

"Benjamin, who won the final by a significant distance, was disqualified after he clipped his final hurdle - which inadvertently nudged a rival's hurdle out of place on the neighbouring lane. It was a harsh call, and has been overturned. It means Benjamin is now officially world and Olympic champion."

The athlete who was impeded by Bejamin's fallen hurdle, Ezekiel Nathaniel, stated that Benjamin deserved to win the gold medal and the moved hurdle did not affect him.

As per athletics writer Chris Chavez, Benjamin said of the drama: "Wouldn’t be the World Championships without a little drama."

In the women's event, heavy favourite Femke Bol of the Netherlands won gold ahead of Team USA star Jasmine Jones and Slovakia's Emma Zapletalova.