by RBR Admin
Karston Warholm, photo by PhotoRun.net
Karsten Waholm just ran 47.12, a WL, new NR, EL, and PB on 20 July at the Muller Anniversary Games. In London, it is called Super Saturday, in honor of 4 August 2012, the night that 3 Brits took gold (Greg Rutherford, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Sir Mo Farah) took Olympic gold at the LJ, heptathlon and 10,000m in front of 81,000 cheering British fans in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Stadium.
Warholm won the Euro Indoor 400m in 45.05. He has a best open 400m at 44.87. In 2019, he has been on a proverbial role. He opened at 400m hurdles in 47.85 at Bauhaus-Stockholm on 30 May 2019. On June 13, 2019, at Bislett-Oslo, Warholm busted 2019 wide open, with his 47.33, a new NR, PB and EL. Obviously, Karston Warholm had changed his steps, his approach and his finish had totally improved.
On 30 June, 2019, Rai Benjamin, one of Karston’s rivals, upped the 2019 game and ran 47.16 in Palo Alto, CA. This was Rai’s third 400m hurdles of the year. Rai had progressed 47.80 on 18 May 2019 in Shanghai, 47.55 in Rome, at the Golden Gala-Pietro Mennea on 6 June 2019. On the 30 June event, Rai Benjamin ran an almost flawless race, on a clear, sunny day, finishing unpressed in a SB of 47.16. Please note that Mr. Benjamin has completed the most sadistic of athletic events in 47.02 (NCAA 2018).
On 20 July 2019, after another training block, Karston Warholm showed his continued improvement, winning by 2 seconds in 47.12, replacing Benjamin as WL and showing that the 400m hurdles in Doha, featuring Benjamin, Warholm and Samba (who ran 49.57 in heat, 47.51 at Asian Championships on 24 Apil 2019, and then on 18 May 2019, blasted a 47.27 WL. Please note that Mr. Samba has a PB of 46.98 from 2018, and one senses that the Doha WC may be the place of a new WR at 400m hurdles, where breaking the WR does not guarantee a gold medal.
On that tease, let’s conclude with a fun post event interview by Andy Edwards of Race News Service, a global partner of RunBlogRun.
