– I just need a laugh

Warholm is the reigning Olympic long-distance champion after Tokyo 2021. That time he not only won the gold medal, but also broke the world record with a time of 45.94.

On Monday, people began looking for the same thing.

Warholm tried out the likes of Samba Abderrahman and Trevor Bassitt in the second qualifying round.

He crossed the finish line first in 47.58, which is quite fast for the attempt. In 2019, Warholm became the world champion with a time of 47.42.

After crossing the finish line, he smiled brightly.

– I just smiled a little. It was unfortunate to compete with the French in the first qualifying round. “But I think I ran fast, although the tank was not empty, but I would like to run slower,” Warholm told NRK.

Frenchman Clement Ducos finished second after running a personal best, while Abdelrahman was third after the crisis began.

The top three players from each preliminary round advance.

Bassett finished fifth, weaker than the American.

At the 2023 Budapest World Cup, Warholm ran 48.76. At the Tokyo Olympics, he ran 48.65.

Warholm’s biggest rivals, Rai Benjamin and Alison dos Santos, made it to the first and third qualifying rounds, respectively.

Benjamin completely won the heat. First, he almost jogged across the finish line in 48.82.

– Warholm’s coach Leif Olav Alnes told NRK that he was surprisingly cheap.

Jamaican player Juhl Head and British player Karen McMaster also advanced from the group.

Before the Olympics, Benjamin had a year-best time of 46.46. Dos Santos had a score of 46.63 and Warholm had a score of 46.70.

Warholm has not ruled out sneaking under 46 seconds again at the Olympics. When he ran 45.94 at the Tokyo Olympics, it was the first time anyone had run the 400m hurdles under the hallowed 45 seconds.

He thinks he has a favorite stamp:

– In that sense, given the history, I think we are. But that doesn’t mean I’ve delivered on anything. Warholm told VG in the pre-match press conference.

However, the times of Benjamin and Dos Santos so far this year are perhaps a bit of a head scratcher:

– This is probably the closest I’ve been to a contender position in years. It’s going to be a good environment. From that point of view, it’s good for other people to feel the pressure that we’re under.