Norway’s Karsten Warholm has had an incredible run by smashing his own “impossible” world record, taking the gold in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Warholm clocked in at a remarkable 45.94 seconds.
He beat his previous world best of 46.70sec.
Image: Supplied
He went head to head with American Rai Benjamin, who came under the previous world record mark and won silver.
Brazil’s Alison Dos Santos claimed bronze in 46.72.
Warholm’s feat is something never-before-seen, as only four runners in history have ever clocked sub-47sec times, let alone sub-46.
Seven of the eight runners also recorded their personal best times.
The race was one that came down to the final 20m.
As Warholm’s world record time flashed on the big screen, he roared and ripped open his shirt.
Image: Getty
Aussie icon and commentator Bruce McAvaney, described the win as one of the most iconic performances ever seen at the Olympics.
He said it competed with Usain Bolt’s 9.63sec 100m run at the London Olympics.
“It will go down as the greatest 400m hurdles ever run and arguably the greatest race we have seen at an Olympic Games. What a contest,” McAvaney said.
Karsten Warholm’s 45.95 in the 400-meter hurdles took .75 of a second off of the world record.
To take that much off of the WR in an event human beings have been running for 120+ years should not be possible. It should not be possible!
— Jonathan Gault (@jgault13) August 3, 2021
Former Aussie athletics star Tamsyn Manou said the shock of the race left her speechless.
“I’m in shock. Bruce, I’m in shock. I cannot believe for the men’s 400m hurdles there is a 45 second run,” she said.
Ppl, I don’t think you realize what you just watched. A man just ran Sub 46 in the 400M Hurdles. That’s Beamon’s jump in Mexico City, Bolt’s sub 9.6 in 100 meters. I saw Kevin Young run 46.78 in Barcelona, still can’t believe Warholm ran that fast. Geeeeezzz
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) August 3, 2021
“We’ve taken this event to a place where I don’t think anybody (expected).
“Everybody was talking about a world record, but I don’t think anybody would have said it will be won in sub-46 seconds.”
American sports commentator Tom Harrington said: “That 400 meters hurdles was the greatest in history”.
Image: Getty
