Winston Benjamin and Rai Benjamin(Twitter)
Rai Benjamin, one of the six children of former West Indian pacer, Winston Benjamin, recently secured a gold medal for the USA in the 400-meter hurdles, furthering the United States’ golden streak in track and field events at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Winston, renowned for his stoic demeanour during his playing days as a formidable fast bowler in West Indies cricket’s illustrious era, found himself profoundly elated by his son’s accomplishment. Despite his usual reticence in displaying emotions, Winston was visibly overjoyed by Rai’s achievement. He expressed immense pride, particularly given his awareness of the relentless effort and unyielding drive Rai invested in his quest for glory.
“It’s a surreal feeling. I have never met anyone who would have experienced a similar feeling; it was a surreal moment. I’m very happy for his achievement, because I know how much he worked, I know how hard it was for him and how much he really wanted it,” stated Winston, as quoted by Cricbuzz.
He also likened the Olympics to a World Cup final, asserting that he had never experienced a sensation as surreal as the one he felt when his son clinched the gold medal, while he cheered amidst the fervent crowd at the Stade de France.
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“The Olympics for me are like the World Cup final. No, I’ve never felt like this. I mean, I’m not an individual who shows a lot of emotion. Even though I’m happy, I tend to internalise it. But, you know, it’s a surreal moment,” mentioned Winston.
He chose athletics and I supported him from Day One: Winston
Rai initially dabbled in cricket and American football, serving as a fast bowler and then as a quarterback, before ultimately dedicating himself to track events. Antigua’s athletics coach, recognizing his latent potential, urged him to pursue a career in athletics. Rai competed for Antigua before relocating to the US.
Regarding this, Winston expressed that he fully supported Rai once he had meticulously refined his focus on the sport he ultimately pursued. He conveyed immense satisfaction and pride in seeing Rai achieve the pinnacle of success he had long aspired to.
“He was neither here or there (initially) for me. He chose athletics and I supported him all the way from Day One. I am very happy for him,” added Winston.
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Winston’s illustrious career saw him accumulate 61 wickets in Tests and 100 wickets in ODIs achieved over 21 and 85 matches, respectively.