WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS · TOKYO 2025 · TRACK

Men's 400 metres hurdles prize money

Q: How much did the men's 400 metres hurdles pay at the 2025 World Championships?

$172,000, across eight paid places: $70,000 to Rai Benjamin, $35,000 for second and $22,000 for third, down to $5,000 for 8th.

Q: Who won the men's 400 metres hurdles in Tokyo?

Rai Benjamin, in 46.52, for $70,000. Eight athletes started the final, from six countries.

Q: What did second and third pay?

$35,000 and $22,000. The same ladder covers every individual event at the championships, so this final paid exactly what every other one did.

Rai Benjamin won the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in 46.52 and took $70,000. Second was worth $35,000 and third $22,000, and the money ran eight deep, so the final paid $172,000 in all.

Eight athletes started the final, from six countries. The championships put up $8,498,000 in Tokyo and spread it eight places deep in every event, which is deeper than any other meeting in athletics pays.

THE WINNER TOOK $70,000

THIS FINAL PAID $172,000

IN THE FINAL 8

COUNTRIES 6

PLACES PAID 8

The final

Tokyo, 13 to 21 September 2025

$172,000 paid

The men's 400 metres hurdles final at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, with what each place paid.
POS	ATHLETE	COUNTRY	MARK	PRIZE
1	Rai Benjamin United States	USA	46.52	$70,000
2	Alison dos Santos Brazil	BRA	46.84	$35,000
3	Abderrahman Samba Qatar	QAT	47.06	$22,000
4	Ezekiel Nathaniel Nigeria	NGR	47.11	$16,000
5	Karsten Warholm Norway	NOR	47.58	$11,000
6	Emil Agyekum Germany	GER	47.98	$7,000
7	Caleb Dean United States	USA	48.20	$6,000
8	Ismail Abakar Qatar	QAT	49.82	$5,000
8	finalists	6 countries	—	$172,000

The eight paid places came to $172,000.

What each place was worth

The ladder, and what this final actually handed over

$172,000 an event

The men's 400 metres hurdles prize ladder at the World Athletics Championships.
PLACE	THE LADDER	WHO TOOK IT	PAID
1st	$70,000	Rai Benjamin	$70,000
2nd	$35,000	Alison dos Santos	$35,000
3rd	$22,000	Abderrahman Samba	$22,000
4th	$16,000	Ezekiel Nathaniel	$16,000
5th	$11,000	Karsten Warholm	$11,000
6th	$7,000	Emil Agyekum	$7,000
7th	$6,000	Caleb Dean	$6,000
8th	$5,000	Ismail Abakar	$5,000
The event	$172,000
eight paid	$172,000

Rai Benjamin $70k Alison dos Santos $35k Abderrahman Samba $22k Ezekiel Nathaniel $16k Karsten Warholm $11k Emil Agyekum $7,000 Caleb Dean $6,000 Ismail Abakar $5,000

The winner takes 41% of what the event pays out and the other seven places share the rest. That shape is the same in every individual event on the programme, so the chart is the championship's ladder rather than anything particular to the men's 400 metres hurdles.

What this field earns the rest of the year

The same athletes on the Diamond League money list

8 of 8

What the athletes paid in this final have earned across the Diamond League.
ATHLETE	TOKYO	BUDAPEST	DL STARTS	DL WINS	DIAMOND LEAGUE
Rai Benjamin United States	$70,000	$150,000	18	8	$187,250
Alison dos Santos Brazil	$35,000	$150,000	34	22	$380,500
Abderrahman Samba Qatar	$22,000	—	21	4	$122,000
Ezekiel Nathaniel Nigeria	$16,000	—	8	0	$32,000
Karsten Warholm Norway	$11,000	$40,000	29	17	$356,000
Emil Agyekum Germany	$7,000	—	5	0	$19,500
Caleb Dean United States	$6,000	—	6	0	$14,500
Ismail Abakar Qatar	$5,000	—	3	0	$5,000

Nine days in Tokyo against careers of Diamond League meetings. The series runs fifteen times a summer and pays six places at a fraction of these rates, which is what makes a world title the biggest single cheque most of this field will ever collect. The Budapest column is the Ultimate Championship, the one meeting that pays more for a win.

Frequently asked questions

How much did the men's 400 metres hurdles pay at the 2025 World Championships?

$172,000, across eight paid places: $70,000 to Rai Benjamin, $35,000 for second and $22,000 for third, down to $5,000 for 8th.

Who won the men's 400 metres hurdles in Tokyo?

Rai Benjamin, in 46.52, for $70,000. Eight athletes started the final, from six countries.

What did second and third pay?

$35,000 and $22,000. The same ladder covers every individual event at the championships, so this final paid exactly what every other one did.

How many places does the men's 400 metres hurdles pay?

Eight. The ladder runs $70,000, $35,000, $22,000, $16,000, $11,000, $7,000, $6,000, $5,000, which is $172,000 for the event, and below 8th it pays nothing. Across all 49 events that comes to the $8,498,000 World Athletics put up for Tokyo.

Where to next

The rest of the championships

World Championships prize money holds all 49 events, the 334 athletes who were paid and the $8,498,000 that was put up. Diamond League prize money is the series most of this field races all summer, and the Ultimate Championship is the one meeting that pays more for a win.