LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Olympic silver medallist Rai Benjamin powered to victory in his 400 metres hurdles season debut on Saturday at the Los Angeles Grand Prix, as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone excelled in the 200 metres.
It was exactly the start to the year Benjamin wanted ahead of the US Olympic trials, as he took an early lead and cruised to the line in 46.64 seconds, 1.47 ahead of Jamaican Roshawn Clarke.
World silver medallist Kyron McMaster of the Virgin Islands came third.
"I knew the strength was there," the Diamond League champion Benjamin told NBC. "I knew that I was in 46 (second) shape... It sounds cliche but (I wanted to) execute my own race."
American Anna Cockrell won the women's race in 53.75, nearly a second faster than Jamaican Andrenette Knight, with compatriot Cassandra Tate third.
McLaughlin-Levrone, world record holder in the event, was absent from the field as she opted to run the 200 metres at Drake Stadium.
She made the unfamiliar distance look easy as she led off the turn and finished in 22.07 seconds ahead of American compatriot Abby Steiner in 22.32.
"Just (getting) speed work, getting used to turnover and being able to come off those last couple hurdles fast," said the Olympic champion, who plans to compete in her signature event at the U.S. trials. "Getting the speed work is always good."
Dominica's world champion Marileidy Paulino kept her superb form going as she timed 50.27 seconds to win the 400 metres after two Diamond League victories this year.
American Michael Norman accelerated at the halfway point to win the men's 400 metres in 44.53, beating three-time Olympic medallist Kirani James of Grenada by more than three tenths of a second.
Norman, the 2022 world champion, took time away from the track last year after struggling with injuries.
"Kind of had to find my rhythm again," he said. "Just trying to make some small adjustments under a heavy load."
SIMBINE REGISTERS FASTEST 100M OF SEASON
South African Akani Simbine won the 100 metres in a world-leading 9.90 seconds at the Atlanta City Games on Saturday, while American Noah Lyles shone in the 150 metres.
Running into a headwind on a makeshift track, Simbine cruised through the finish a tenth of a second ahead of Kenyan Ferdinand Omanyala, with American Kendal Williams finishing third in 10.05.
The performance was three-hundredths of a second faster than the previous lead, set by American teenager Christian Miller in April. The Atlanta organizers noted the event avoids a traditional stadium in favour using a temporary straightaway and part of the city's urban Piedmont Park.
The 100 and 200 metres world champion Lyles proved lethal in the rarely run 150 metres distance, pulling away through the second half to cross the finish a quarter of a second ahead of Britain's Zharnel Hughes.
Lyles, a bronze medallist in Tokyo, smiled widely after the finish and bowed to the fans, crediting his current form to his mental health.
"I ain't got depression," he told an on-track reporter. "Makes a big difference. Makes a huge difference. So I'm hyped, I'm excited, I come out here - I get excited when I see the fans."
Lyles has kept a busy schedule in 2024, winning the 100 metres at the Bermuda Grand Prix in April before travelling to the World Relays in the Bahamas earlier this month.