An American hurdler is creating buzz within the monitor and discipline world in an unconventional manner by boycotting race bibs for the 2024 monitor and discipline season. The Olympic silver medallist within the 400m hurdles, Rai Benjamin, has not worn a bib in both of his races to begin the season, and plans to proceed.
After successful the 400m hurdles occasion on the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix over the weekend in 46.64 seconds, Benjamin informed Citius Magazine in a post-race interview that he thought-about the usage of bibs a waste of cash and felt they ruined the looks of the uniform. “I’m not sporting that factor. It’s a waste of cash and the uniform appears too good to put on a bib, so I’m persevering with my no-bib marketing campaign right here at the moment,” stated Benjamin.
Benjamin will not be the one skilled athlete to talk out in opposition to sporting race bibs. Former U.S. Olympic champion Michael Johnson was quoted by The New York Instances in 2023 as having related beliefs: “When an athlete is attempting to concentrate on acting at their greatest, the bibs are a distraction. The quickest, most effective athletes on the planet compete with a chunk of paper safety-pinned on. It simply reeks of amateurism.”
Race bibs are a compulsory staple of each runner’s race-day apparel. Whereas their essential functions are live-tracking and figuring out runners, additionally they generate important race-day income via sponsorships.
Per World Athletics competitors guidelines, all athletes competing at a World Athletics sanctioned meet are required to put on a race bib. In accordance with technical competitors guidelines 5.8-9, “no athlete shall be allowed to participate in any competitors with out displaying the suitable bib(s) and/or identification. These bibs should be worn as issued and is probably not reduce, folded or obscured in any manner. If any facet of Rule 5 of the technical guidelines will not be adopted, a disqualification might observe.”
Benjamin’s first two races of the season have been at low-key occasions; it is going to be attention-grabbing to see if race officers will observe the World Athletics rulebook and disqualify him at future occasions just like the U.S. Olympic Trials in late June and the Olympic Video games in August if he doesn’t comply.
The 26-year-old is without doubt one of the favourites to medal within the 400m hurdles occasion in Paris. He has medalled on the final 4 main championships within the occasion, relationship again to the 2019 World Championships in Doha.