Tokyo 2020: Warholm not done yet despite breaking world record

Bengaluru, August 3: Karsten Warholm was candid while admitting that he was not done yet and that he need to set himself new goals after breaking the 400M hurdles record at Tokyo 2020.

The 400M hurdles final at Tokyo 2020 will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest races in athletics history as the Norwegian broke the world record with 45.94M to win one of the most highly anticipated showdowns of the Olympic Games.

In the highest quality 400M hurdles race in history, USA's Rai Benjamin took silver in 46.17 - well inside the previous world record of 46.70, set by Warholm in Oslo last month - and Brazil's Alison dos Santos took bronze in 46.72, inside the old world record that had stood to Kevin Young from 1992 until last month.

"This is so crazy," Warholm told World Athletics Media.

"It's by far the biggest moment of my life.

"This is so crazy. It’s by far the biggest moment of my life. I’ve been training like a f***ing maniac."

🇳🇴 @kwarholm 𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 400m hurdles world record with 45.94 to win highest quality 400m hurdles race in history at #Tokyo2020

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 3, 2021

"I've been training like a f***ing maniac. I struggled to sleep last night because I had this special feeling in my chest. It's like the feeling I had as a six-year-old on Christmas Eve. It's a feeling you think you'll never have again as you get older. But I had it last night."

"I was so focused on getting that last medal in my collection and now it's all complete," added the two-time world champion. "I need to set myself new goals, I don't think I'm done yet," he added.

Warholm sets stunning 400m hurdles world record, breaking 46-second barrier

At the Japan National Stadium on Tuesday (August 3), Benjamin was drawn in lane five, just inside Warholm in six.

Both men - in fact all finalists - set off at an aggressive pace, but Benjamin and Warholm shared the lead over the first few barriers. Warholm appeared to gain a narrow lead on the final bend, though Benjamin still looked poised to respond.

Warholm's lead over the final two barriers was still only negligible and the race looked far from over, but he managed to find another gear after clearing the 10th hurdle to pull clear from Benjamin, charging through the finish to stop the clock at an incredible 45.94.

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Benjamin finished second in 46.17, smashing Young's North American record, and Dos Santos came through for bronze in 46.72.

Kyron McMaster was fourth (47.08), while Qatar's Abderrahman Samba, who was one of the favourites, had to settle for fifth place (47.12) and Yasmani Copello sixth (47.81) as six men finished inside 48se for the first time in Games history.

Tokyo 2020: Yulimar Rojas achieves the jump of her life

The athletics events of Tokyo 2020, which started a week after the Games started has now seen two records in as many days.

Warholm's effort came a couple of days after Yulimar Rojas sailed out to a world record of 15.67M in women's triple jump to land Venezuela its first Olympic gold medal in athletics.