Athletics is off to a very good start at the Olympic Games.
After the women's triple jump world record, the best mark in the 400m hurdles fell on Tuesday in Tokyo.
The author of this superb performance could not be other than Karsten Warholm, already holder of the previous record a month ago at the beginning of July.
With a race finished in 45''94, the Norwegian athlete, of course, made a double blow by being crowned Olympic champion.
đź”´ WORLD RECORD ALERT!
đź”´
đź’Ą Karsten Warholm blows up the best time in history over 400 meters hurdles!
Rai Benjamin, who finished second, also puts half a second in sight of the old time! # Tokyo2020 #JeuxOlympiques #Athletics pic.twitter.com/xjgnt3Bv3e
- Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) August 3, 2021
Three men on record time
The 2017 world champion had already dropped on July 1 in 46''70, Kevin Young's legendary record set at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. A month, almost to the day, later, the new Olympic champion has exploded his own mark by 76 hundredths, in 45′'94.
Second, his great rival the American Rai Benjamin also finished in a better time than the old world record in 46''17.
A very high level race since the Brazilian Alison Dos Santos also goes below the 47 seconds mark.
" It's crazy.
It is the greatest thing I have ever achieved.
I have a big thought for Rai Benjamin.
Running in 46''17 is not a performance for the money.
He deserves the gold medal too ”, reacted Karsten Warholm, smiling, at the microphone of France TV.
Starting in lane number 5, Warholm immediately took the lead in the race, catching up with the riders who had started just in front of him. In the last 200 meters, his runner-up Rai Benjamin made a big effort to get back to the Norwegian before jumping the last hurdle. The new world record holder put one last boost to get this historic time, before bursting into tears and tearing his jersey in Superman mode.
