Norwegian sprinter Karsten Warholm won his first gold medal, breaking the world and Olympic records in the 400-meter hurdles category with a time of 45.94 seconds during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The duel was also marked by the American Ray Benjamin, who finished with a mark of 46.17 seconds and with it, get the silver medal.

With this result, Karsten Warholm confirmed his title as the best runner in the 400 meters hurdles by winning the gold medal with world and Olympic records in this event.

The Norwegian sprinter became the first athlete in history to break the 46-second barrier by stopping the timer at 45.94 seconds to improve the previous record of 46.70 seconds, set just a month ago, during the fourth round of the Diamond League. Athletics held in Oslo on July 1.

“I was thinking about this day and night, about getting this medal for my collection. I have not touched a fence and I was even able to re-accelerate at the end. It has been something enormous, it is historical ”, celebrated Warholm after his record.

“We are facing a new era, that of the rebirth of the 400-meter hurdles. I think we will experience new races like this in the future, ”added the Norwegian.

Warholm flew on the track of the Olympic stadium

Warholm flew on the track of the Olympic stadium in the Japanese capital, improving by 76 hundredths of a second the world record that he had broken on July 1 at home, at the Oslo meeting , where he ran in 46.70 seconds.

That day he managed to break an old athletics record, which the American Kevin Young had achieved with 46 seconds and 78 hundredths in the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.

All three medalists from the Tokyo 2020 final ran under Kevin Young’s time , which for almost three decades had been untouchable, demonstrating the spectacular level of today’s competitors.

“It was the biggest race in the history of the Olympic Games,” said Rai Benjamin, who pointed out that not even the world record of the 100 meters (9.58) achieved by Usain Bolt at the Berlin World Cup could “rival” in importance and intensity with what was experienced this Tuesday.

The final was only tarnished for having taken place in a stadium empty of spectators due to the covid-19 pandemic.

With 33 degrees Celsius and 60% humidity, Warholm had a perfect start in the race. Benjamin thought for a moment he could catch up with the Norwegian about fifty meters from the finish line, but the European athlete kept his lead, sped up and set his impressive record.

In his record, Warholm joins this Olympic gold with his two world titles (2017 and 2019) and the 2018 European title. He was also a European indoor champion in 2019.

At 25, the Norwegian is now the current Olympic, world and European champion, as well as world record holder. A total hegemony.

Feats overshadowed

For Rai Benjamin (24 years old), the sensations are necessarily opposed.

His time, by far the second best in history, has not served him to proclaim himself Olympic champion, although with his silver he has also inaugurated his record in some Games.

Between Warholm and Benjamin they accumulate 13 of the 20 best times of all time.

But the New Yorker, who has all the capabilities to have been an athlete to mark an epoch, has run into ‘Hurricane Karsten ‘, which had already relegated him to silver two years ago at the Doha World Cup.

Alison Dos Santos, 21, confirms her spectacular progression. In the semifinals he had managed to establish his best mark with 47.31 and a day later he has lowered it by 59 hundredths.

Since May it has been beating the South American record up to six times.

The 400-meter hurdles are going through a great moment in the men’s category, as an exciting pulse is also expected in the women’s category , between the Americans Dalilah Muhammad, current Olympic and world champion, and Sydney McLaughlin, the world record holder.