Michael Norman and Rai Benjamin to Race 200 Meters at Paris Diamond League Meeting

By Adam Kopet

Michael Norman missed the 200-meter final at the USATF Outdoor Championships after a three-hour weather delay. However, Norman has another 200-meter race coming up. That being at the Paris Diamond League meeting Saturday.

Also in the race is now former USC teammate Rai Benjamin. He is stepping down in distance from the 400-meter hurdles. Both Norman and Benjamin appear excited to make their pro debuts in Paris.

We lit or we lit????!!!!!!!🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 @Mike_Norman22 pic.twitter.com/YJaPjTrkke

— Rai Benjamin (@_Kingben_) June 25, 2018

Norman broke the collegiate record in the 400 meters at the NCAA Division 1 Outdoor Championships earlier this month, running 43.61. Not long after, Benjamin broke the 400-meter hurdles collegiate record, running 47.02, which equaled the second-fastest time ever run. Both athletes ran on the USC 4x400 relay that broke the collegiate record in 2:59.00 to close out the meet.

Benjamin enters Saturday's race with the slowest personal best in the field, 20.64. However, he has not focused on the 200-meter distance before. Five men have personal bests faster than Norman at 20.06, but Norman also has a wind-aided 19.84 from the PAC-12 Outdoor Championships.

Two years ago, Norman finished fifth at the 2016 Olympic Trials in the 200 as a high school senior. Noah Lyles, also a high school senior at the time, finished fourth. Norman and Lyles are expected to race the 200 on July 5 at the Lausanne Diamond League meeting.