Karsten
Warholm
Norway
·
Hurdles
Date of birth | February 28, 1996 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | Ulsteinvik |
Age | 30 |
Nationality | Norway |
Career start | 2011 |
Disciplines | Running 400 Hurdles / Running 400 m |
Champion at the Games in Tokyo and a silver medalist in Paris in 2024, Karsten Warholm is one of Norway's most decorated athletes and one of the greatest 400m runners in history. With two world records and three World Championship golds to his name, he has rightfully earned a place among the elite of the athletics world.
Warholm has a background as a versatile athlete: as a 17-year-old, he won eight golds at the Norwegian Youth Indoors Championships in 2013, as well as topping the podium in the octathlon during the U18 World Athletics Championships in Donetsk, Ukraine. However, with coach Leif Olav Alnes, he's focused his efforts on the 400m hurdles and established himself as the man to beat on the world stage.
Chasing a world record
For a number of years, Warholm was steadily building up to beating Kevin Young's legendary world record of 46.78s, set during the Barcelona Games in 1992.
But everything fell into place for Warholm in 2021, which can be considered his greatest season to date. He ran 46.70s to set a new world record in front of a home crowd in Oslo. The same year, he bettered his own time on the biggest sporting stage of all, smashing the record again in 45.94s to win gold in Tokyo.
In 2024, Warholm set a new championship time of 46.98s at the European Athletics Championships in Rome. The same year, he won a silver medal at the Paris Games in the 400m hurdles.
The time to beat in the 300m
Warholm set his second world record at the 2025 Diamond League opener in Xiamen, China, by winning the 300m hurdles event. The Norwegian clocked 33.05s to smash the previous mark of 33.26s ahead of Brazil's Matheus Lima (33.98s) and Japan’s Ken Todoya (34.22s).
Discussing the unusual distance, which prioritises speed over endurance, he said: “I think we should be open to try new things, and to be open to throw them away if it doesn’t work ... I feel like athletics is entering a new era.”
Karsten Warholm pauses before hitting the track
© Herman Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
Karsten Warholm has a training regime like no other
© Herman Berger/Red Bull Content Pool
Karsten Warholm doesn't let a little snow stop him training
© Red Bull Norway for Wings for Life World Run
Karsten Warholm takes his winter training to the next level!
© Herman Berger/Red Bull Content Pool