American hurdler Rai Benjamin returns to ancestral home to kick-start 2026 season preparations
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 24.12.25. | 21:00
The American star once again chose the Caribbean Island as his off-season training base, continuing a tradition he embraced last year as part of his build-up to global success.
Olympic and world 400m hurdles champion Rai Benjamin has returned to Antigua, his ancestral home, to begin preparations for the highly anticipated 2026 track and field season.
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The American star once again chose the Caribbean Island as his off-season training base, continuing a tradition he embraced last year as part of his build-up to global success.
Benjamin is in Antigua with his renowned Hayestack training group for an intensive high-performance camp running from Friday, 26 December 2025, to Saturday, 3 January 2026, at the YASCO Sports Complex in St. John’s.
The camp brings together elite international athletes and local talent, reinforcing Antigua and Barbuda’s growing reputation as a hub for elite athletics training.
In a press release, the Antigua and Barbuda Athletics Association (ABAA) expressed pride in welcoming Benjamin and his team back to the island, describing the camp as a major investment in athlete development.
“We view the clinic as an important investment in athlete development, and it will have a meaningful impact on our coaches and athletes. It also provides a rare opportunity for our coaches to learn directly from global competitors,” the association said.
The Hayestack group features an impressive lineup of world-class athletes, including Vernon Norwood, Jasmine Jones, Raevyn Rogers, Shae Anderson, and Kendall Ellis.
They are joined by Antiguan sprint stars Cejhae Greene and Joella Lloyd, offering invaluable exposure for local athletes training alongside some of the sport’s biggest names.
Beyond the track, Benjamin and his teammates engaged with local youth, sharing their journeys and inspiring the next generation of runners.
The interaction left a lasting impression, with young athletes motivated by the Olympians’ presence and personal stories. The team also showcased their training experience across social media, highlighting the natural beauty of Antigua and Barbuda to a global audience.
Welcoming elite athletes aligns with the country’s broader sports tourism strategy, championed by the Ministry of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation and Investment.
Officials believe such visits inspire youth participation in sport, elevate Antigua and Barbuda’s international profile, and position the island as an ideal environment for elite training camps.
The camp also strengthens Benjamin’s personal connection to his heritage; a key reason he plans to make the Antigua training block an annual fixture. According to local officials and athletics administrators, this consistency could significantly enhance the island’s standing in elite athletics circles.
Benjamin arrives fresh from another dramatic chapter in his illustrious career. At the Tokyo World Championships, he stormed to victory in the 400m hurdles with a season’s best time of 46.52 seconds, defeating Brazil’s Alison dos Santos and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba.
However, celebrations were briefly cut short when he was disqualified after clipping the final hurdle, which fell into the adjacent lane.
Team USA successfully appealed the decision, arguing the contact was incidental and did not affect Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel. Within minutes, the ruling was overturned, and Benjamin was reinstated as world champion.
With his hurdles legacy firmly intact, Benjamin is now setting his sights on new challenges. The reigning world and Olympic champion has confirmed plans to expand his dominance by shifting focus to the flat sprints, announcing an ambitious bid to contest both the 200m and 400m at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The feat has only been achieved once before by Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
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