Tokyo Olympics Athletics: Karsten Warholm clinches men’s 400m hurdles gold medal with World record effort, Benjamin Rai secures silver
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Karsten Warholm
The men’s 400m hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics turned to be a spectacle as Norway’s Karsten Warholm rewrote the world record to take home the gold medal. It was a surreal effort from the Norweigan who was in disbelief of the feat he has achieved on the grand stage. Warholm clocked 45.94s to take the pole position on the podium.
America’s Rai Benjamin clinched the second position with an Area Record timing of 46.17s. In the process, Benjamin also broke the world record comfortably but had to contend with silver. Close on his heels was Brazillian Alison dos Santos who too scripted an Area record with a timing of 46.72s to take home the bronze medal.
The event saw as many as three national records being scripted despite not being able to make it to the podium. Kyron McMaster of the British Virgin Islands, Yasmani Copello of Qatar and Rasmus Mägi all managed to breach their respective national records in what was an exhilarating final.
Karsten Warholm rewrites men’s 400m hurdles world record twice in two months
This is no the first time Warholm has breached the illustrious world record. The 2-time world champion created history as he broke the longest standing world record in men’s track, the 400m hurdles world record earlier this year. Warholm clocked a time of 46.70s at the Diamond League in Oslo in July.
The previous record was held by America’s Kevin Young, a time of 46:78s, which was set at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Warholm now holds 8 of the 15 fastest times in the world. A week prior to the Norweigan’s feat, Rai Benjamin ran the second-fastest time in the world, 46:83s, at the US Track and Field Trials.
The 400m hurdles were expected to be an exciting race at the Tokyo Olympics, with three out of four of the fastest men in history, Karsten Warholm, Rai Benjamin and Abderrahman Samba going up against each other. And the final delivered on the expectations.
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Anshuman Mahapatra
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