Rai Benjamin is the proud owner of three Olympic gold medals after adding two to his collection earlier this summer. Now the runner is slowing down and taking some time to enjoy a hero's honor where all of his training began.
The 27-year-old won his medals in the 400-meter hurdles and the 4x400 relay and his glittering prizes were on full display as he rode on a motorcade that made its way through the city - passing by all 16 schools in the district.
"He was an honor roll student and an Advanced Placement student, so he's a student athlete and so I think sometimes that gets lost in the celebration but he is an example for our young people," said Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard.
Benjamin was a national champion at USC and also won gold in the 2020 Tokyo games, but it all started for him at Mount Vernon High School.
"I stuck with it and I believed in myself and I relied on everyone else around me, and I cannot express enough how much without everyone else, I wouldn't be here," Benjamin said.
The festivities ended at Memorial Stadium where Benjamin picked up even more hardware: proclamations and a key to the city. There, he delivered a simple message.
"I think it's important for everyone to see that good things come out of Mount Vernon," Benjamin said.
The area in front of Memorial Stadium has been officially renamed Rai Benjamin Plaza for the hometown hero that has made a city feel good as gold.
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