Karsten Warholm: I'm not afraid of lactate, but I'm very afraid of having a bad race
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- 17 Aug 2022
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Karsten Warholm is getting closer. Closer to that feeling of invincibility bottled up on that iconic afternoon in Tokyo last summer. Gliding for 45.94 mesmerising seconds, winning Olympic gold, setting a new world record, and reimagining what is possible in the 400m hurdles.
The Norwegian changed the game. But now he is searching for redemption after suffering a torn hamstring at this year’s Rabat Diamond League, six weeks before the World Championships in Eugene. The 26-year-old persevered in Eugene, but eventually succumbed to the pain and lack of rhythm from missed training, his hopes of retaining the world crown scuppered. He finished a lowly seventh, behind Alison Dos Santos, who surged to gold in 46.29 seconds, the second-fastest time in history.
“It’s been special,” Warholm tells The Independent, reflecting on a rare defeat, having entered the year unbeaten since the Continental Cup in Ostrava in 2018. “I’ve been living on this pink cloud, everything I tried to do, I made it happen. To be in a challenging position like this now, it gives me something to think about. Also, something good has come out of it: my motivation is higher than ever before. I want to get back to winning ways. The good feelings and the adrenaline after a race, which I absolutely didn’t have in Eugene.
“I think you will see me winning again soon and then I’ll be very happy, but also a bit relieved, as when you win you get a special feeling, but you also forget it very quickly. It’s like going out at the weekend, it’s super fun, but then you get a hangover, and you want to experience it again. In championships it’s once or twice per year, you need to take care of those moments.”
It is why Munich serves as more than just an opportunity to extend his reign in Europe, having triumphed in Berlin four years ago. He hopes to apply lessons just four weeks on from his humbling at the World Championships. Training has been smooth. The athlete has regrouped with long-time coach and friend Leif Olav Alnes in the tranquillity of Bergen, Norway. Together they hope to harness a “very special and unique relationship” and a near-insatiable desire to win on their “mission” to return to the top.
“It’s of course very nice to have Tokyo to think about,” Warholm reflects. “In difficult times it’s nice to see what you have achieved. I wouldn’t trade Tokyo for anything, that’s the most important win of my life and probably will be forever.
“But I don’t want to think about the past, I’m a guy who looks forward. I always have new goals and high expectations and those are only when I look forward. It’s hard to tell where my mentality came from. Read More…
