- China should use fiscal policy to boost growth: IMF
- Wolfspeed and ZF put German chip factory on ice
- Putin faces calls for peace at flagship BRICS summit
- Stock markets and oil prices retreat
- Dupont back in France squad for November internationals
- Caelan Doris to captain Ireland in November rugby Tests
- 14 dead, thousands evacuated as tropical storm batters Philippines
- Boeing reports $6.2 bn loss on strike, defense contract woes
- Germany's Scholz heads to India despite differences on Russia
- Sri Lanka deploys troops to Jewish community centre after US warning
- Sione Tuipulotu named as Scotland captain for November internationals
- 'I'm broken', mass rape victim tells French court
- Don't let tech gurus decide the future: Nobel winner Simon Johnson
- Palestinian seeds join Arctic 'doomsday vault'
- Ariana Grande concert attack survivors win UK harassment case
- Blinken on new quest for Saudi ties with Israel
- UK and Germany sign 'milestone' defence deal
- Seoul says N.Korea sent more troops to Russia, Kyiv urges their surrender
- Mehidy, Jaker keep Bangladesh alive against South Africa
- Stock markets mixed, oil prices drop
- Stokes forecasts spin battle in Pakistan-England decider
- Volvo Cars cuts sales forecast on market headwinds
- South Africa 'shattered' by divorce of rugby star Kolisi
- Putin touts 'multipolar world order' at flagship BRICS summit
- Deutsche Bank profits boosted by legal settlements
- WHO says 'intense bombardment' halts Gaza polio vaccinations
- UK's Starmer plays down Trump team claims of interference
- Son of Singapore's founder granted asylum in UK
- Mehidy, Jaker take Bangladesh into lead over South Africa in Test
- Stocks mixed as rate cut bets are trimmed, US vote in focus
- Seven dead, thousands evacuated as tropical storm batters Philippines
- Pant fit for second Test as Gill gives India selection 'headache'
- S. Korean Olympic shooter Kim keeps cool over newfound fame
- UN chief in Russia for Putin's BRICS summit
- Markets mixed as rate cut bets are trimmed, US vote in focus
- US says 'now is the time' to end Gaza war
- Harris to face voters' queries in crucial Pennsylvania
- Mehidy fifty steers Bangladesh towards parity at 201-6
- King Charles arrives in Samoa, where Commonwealth looks to shed stodgy image
- Ohtani 50-50 baseball sells for record-breaking $4.39 million
- Morikawa says 'winning is tough' ahead of Japan title defence
- New Zealand's Bowes smashes record-breaking 103-ball double ton
- Troubled Boeing faces investors and awaits strike vote
- Indian capital chokes as 'hazardous' air pollution returns
- Thousands flee homes as fierce tropical storm batters Philippines
- Tokyo Metro shares rocket on debut
- Israel says killed Nasrallah's apparent successor in Beirut strike
- Climate change worsened deadly Africa floods, scientists say
- Los Angeles Dodgers baseball icon Fernando Valenzuela dead at 63
- Indian capital's 'hazardous' air pollution season starts
RBGPF | 1.59% | 63 | $ | |
RYCEF | 0.14% | 7.37 | $ | |
SCS | -1.03% | 12.68 | $ | |
RELX | -0.73% | 46.68 | $ | |
BCC | 1.01% | 135.012 | $ | |
NGG | -0.08% | 66.24 | $ | |
BCE | -0.3% | 33.22 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.54% | 24.87 | $ | |
JRI | 0.11% | 13.085 | $ | |
GSK | -0.29% | 37.89 | $ | |
CMSD | -0.44% | 24.82 | $ | |
BP | -0.64% | 31.38 | $ | |
RIO | -1.52% | 64.5 | $ | |
AZN | -0.31% | 77.08 | $ | |
VOD | -1.08% | 9.448 | $ | |
BTI | -0.5% | 34.715 | $ |
Warholm shirks Paris tourism to continue hurdling revolution
Karsten Warholm produced one of the most memorable Olympic performances ever when he roared to victory in the men’s 400m hurdles at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games.
In an empty stadium, he obliterated the world record, ripping his top open in delight as he celebrated the winning time of 45.94sec to leave one of the most iconic images of any Summer Games.
His feat was mirrored by American Sydney McLauglin-Levrone in the women’s 400m hurdles, their joint efforts heralding a turning point in a discipline that lacks not only the immediacy of the sprints but also the elbow-jostling of middle distance events.
"There's been a revolution," Warholm told AFP of his event, commonly regarded as track's toughest.
“I remember when I first started running the 400m hurdles, everybody was running it very conservatively. It was more like an economy race where it started quite controlled and you tried to finish strong at the end, but now it's just a full sprint from the get go!
“I feel like me and my coach (Leif Olav Alnes) are a little bit guilty in doing it that way. In both the men's and women's side there has been improvement by a lot.
“It's become a new event. It's cool and a lot of people are now really looking forward to the 400m hurdles. It's one of the highlights usually and it wasn't that way before.
"It’s fun, but it’s also a lot tougher to win the 400m hurdles now than it was when I won (the world title) the first time in London in 2017 in 48.3 seconds."
Warholm, who is known for his kamikaze starts to races, has a new pair of spikes that he hopes will help him finish even stronger, warning nonetheless of the dangers of potential injury in the countdown to Paris.
"I want to finish the race stronger. That's probably been my weakest point and I also think actually the shoe is also going to (help) improve the performance.
"It will affect the stride length a little bit, but what is most sensational about it is the energy return. When you put force into it, the force it releases back is much more than than it was before."
The Norwegian kicked off his season at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, pipped to gold in the 400m flat by Belgium's Alexander Doom.
His outdoor season will commence on his home track in Oslo at the Bislett Games on Thursday, the sixth of the 15-meeting Diamond League circuit.
"I'm feeling good. I think that everything right now has gone according to plan. I couldn't ask for much more," he said.
"When you're pushing the limits every day to make sure that you can perform there are also a lot of risks.
"I hope that we can use our knowledge and experience to make sure that we come to Paris with the best shape possible."
- Tough to emulate -
Warholm has confirmed his presence at the European Athletics Championships in Rome on June 7-12, but was coy about what came after that ahead of the July 26-August 11 Olympics.
“I'll have to see. I've tried to find like the perfect balance. I don't like to set the calendar and to fill it very early.
"I like to take the decisions as they come and try to do the smartest things."
Warholm played down expectations of repeating his world record performance in Paris.
"It's a very tough thing to copy. But at the same time I would try, it would be a dream to be able to do something similar.
"But I think this Olympic Games will be tougher than ever. I'm looking forward to the task. It's going to be it's going to be high risk, but it's also going to be high reward if you make it."
Pressure was tempered, Warholm told AFP, by the fact he had already won an Olympic title.
"Actually the pressure is not that much more because a lot of great athletes go through a career and they never get the Olympic gold medal," he said.
"I'm lucky enough to have one. I want one more, but I think there are a lot of people feeling that this is also their biggest chance of getting a gold medal. I reckon they will feel some of the pressure as well."
Either way, Warholm said he would be focused.
"It's always about my own performance. I'm not coming to Paris to be a tourist this time. I'm coming here to perform and then hopefully if I make some good memories, I will be back."
P.Santos--AMWN