Robinson wins first 400m hurdles national title
Chris Robinson ran the men's 400m hurdles at the USATF Outdoor National Championships in 47.61 seconds for his first career national title in the event.
Video Transcript
Prevezin Men's 400 Meter Hurdles Finals time.
National title on the line.
Can it be CJ Allen's?
He's a late bloomer, but he's made two of the last three US teams, including the Olympic team at age 29.
He is still self-coached.
Personal best 47.58.
He'll run out of lane four And right alongside him in lane five is Caleb Dean.
His biggest competition for sure in this race.
He's the second fastest American this season behind Trevor Bassett.
In 2024, he won the NCAA championship and then had heartbreak at the Olympic trials, but came back and made the 2025 team for the world championships and finished seventh.
One thing's for sure, we're gonna get a new national champion this year because for the last six national titles in this event- Right it has been owned by Rai Benjamin.
And on the subject, on the subject of Rai Benjamin, we just had about an hour and a half ago, a new world lead in this event by Alison Dos Santos of Brazil, 46.48, his fastest time since he won worlds in 2022.
So this event is heating up mid-season.
So he eclipsed, he eclipsed Karsten Warholm's world lead, huh?
Yes, he did.
Wow.
That's one of the fastest times ever run in the event, so this event continues to be very, very hot.
That's James Smith, by the way.
James ran very well yesterday.
He finished, second in his heat behind Caleb Dean.
Right Chris Robinson is in lane six.
Yeah, Smith was fifth at the Olympic trials, and then seventh last year at US nationals.
Raytai Rash is in eight, Javon Williams in nine.
It was a late scratching, with Aldrich Bailey.
He was originally meant to be in lane one.
And then Noah Langford, Devon Nugent.
That's the full field for this national final.
So Allen is behind Dean.
That can be a competitive advantage in a race like this.
That's a long hold for the starter.
Sure is.
Set.
Prevezin Men's 400 hurdles final.
Let's go.
100 meters, Devon Nugent, Alan Dean, and Robinson- Right in the center of the track there, that's Caleb Dean, who looked really good yesterday.
Chris Robinson also had a really good qualifier, and he's out strong as well.
Right in the center of the track, that's where the action is, and Robinson is still ahead at this point.
And you can almost see CJ Allen saying, "Uh-uh, can't let him get that far ahead.
I've got to make a move," and he's made a move, and now he's back in contact with the leaders.
He, in fact, has the lead now.
Raytai Rash way on the left.
He got out well, and that's what he did yesterday.
But here come the challenges.
Robinson is looking really good.
Chris, the 25-year-old from Tallahassee, Florida.
Chris Robinson has left them behind.
New national champion.
Wow, new personal best.
And he did that from the gun, Soph.
He took off.
I mean, he did not have much competition in front of him.
Well, Ray- Rash was actually out and probably s- was a great rabbit for him coming out.
But man, what a dominant performance.
When he came off the turn, I mean, he just gave it all.
It's one thing to win the national championship, but what Chris Robinson just did for Caleb Dean and CJ Allen, we could not have predicted.
That's a big gap in between two men that have made US teams very recently.
And you can tell when an athlete is full tilt, as when he came off that last hurdle, he almost collapsed.
His legs went down because he was going as fast as he could.
To be able to hold that speed for the final part was truly incredible.
What a great, great run from Chris Robinson.
Big shout out to James Smith because he went past CJ Allen and Caleb Dean and Raytai Rash in that home stretch to get the runner-up position.
But let's hear from the new champ.
Here's Chris Robinson.
Well, Chris, take us from the start where you were gone and you stayed out there to win your national championship in a personal best.
Yeah.
I'll say from the first beginning of the race, I was trying to stay as relaxed as possible so I could be able to come home, and that's exactly what I did.
Yeah.
What's important about this statement here in 2026 with two big years looking ahead?
Yeah.
Right now it's just coming to scratch off some names.
Nowhere close to where I want to be, and I got some guys on my hit list that know they're there, and just know I'm coming.
Ooh, I wish we had more time, but we don't.
We'll talk about that list later.
Congratulations.
Thank you.
Okay, there's a list.
The hit list.
