Brutal.
For his first 400m hurdles of the season, Norwegian Karsten Warholm broke American Kevin Young's old world record in 46.70 at home in Oslo.
Five days ago, his American rival Rai Benjamin had struck a blow by stealing from Warholm the place of 2nd best performer in history with a time of 46''83 during the American Olympic selections.
The 25-year-old Norwegian did not recover on Thursday, he bluntly took everything in his path by erasing the 46''78 of the American Kevin Young who dated almost 29 years and the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona , while Warholm was not yet born ...
“It's only my first 400m hurdles of the year.
I can still develop my race and do better ”
Karsten Warholm
“
I knew I had a quick time in me for a long time, but it's another thing to do. It was just the perfect moment, everyone was talking about it (the record). My first at the Bislett stadium with the return of the public, it's so special to be able to do it, I'm just proud, it's incredible,
”he reacted. “
It's only my first 400m hurdles of the year. I can still develop my race and do better
".
Staggering power from the first presses, he took advantage of the 5,000 spectators won over to his cause, including alpine skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal, to crush the race without a glance for his opponents, surely stung by the recent performance of Rai Benjamin.
Tempting news, the two men must meet on July 9 at the Monaco meeting for an explosive clash in the form of a warm-up before the Tokyo Olympics (July 23 - August 8), where their duel promises to be epic.
An eccentric personality
Karsten Warholm, double reigning world champion, had already approached the world record several times in 2019 (46''92) then in 2020 (46''87). At 25, he confirmed his grip on a discipline in full swing that he relaunched four years ago with Benjamin and the Qatari Abderrahman Samba: two-thirds of the 18 best lap times of all time have been achieved since 2018. Power monster with a muscular physique (1.87m, 80 kg), screaming and hitting his chest and cheeks before his races, Warholm (24 years old) also attracts the light with his extraordinary and quirky personality. Since March 2015, this former amateur of combined events (7,764 points in junior on decathlon) has linked his destiny to Leif Olav Alnes, a trainer nearly 40 years his senior, who shares his eccentricity, for the better:he won with him two world titles and two European titles (including one indoor over 400m).
Duplantis attempted the record, Lavillenie is reassured a little
The 400m hurdles, a complete discipline combining technique, speed, resistance and tactical finesse, is also in the spotlight among the women: the American Sydney McLaughlin seized the women's world record on Saturday (51.90).
She also plays a fiery duel with her compatriot Olympic champion and former world record holder Dalilah Muhammad.
Another world record shook in Oslo on Thursday.
Sweden's Armand Duplantis failed three times at 6.19m to improve his own best mark of all time (6.18m achieved in 2020).
The 21-year-old prodigy still easily won the competition with a successful first shot jump to 6.01m ahead of American world champion Sam Kendricks (5.91m) and Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie (5.81m).