- Title: Karsten Warholm ready to defend 400m hurdles title
- Date: 27th September 2019
- Summary: DOHA, QATAR (SEPTEMBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EVENT WITH PUMA ATHLETES, INCLUDING KARSTEN WARHOLM (FAR RIGHT) PUMA ATHLETES WARHOLM BEING INTERVIEWED WARHOLM (SOUNDBITE) (English) 400M HURDLER, KARSTEN WARHOLM, SAYING: "I have not been thinking so much about the time that it takes to win but I know there are very good opponents, and it is probably going to take a very good time to win, but at the same time it is three rounds and everything can happen. Everyone is talking about the 400m hurdles as the event now but at the same time, people always talk so much about these things and the world record and everything it suddenly becomes like an anti-climax, but it is going to be exciting to see. So time will show I think." WARHOLM WARHOLM BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) 400M HURDLER, KARSTEN WARHOLM, SAYING ON BEATING RAI BENJAMIN AT DIAMOND LEAGUE: "I got that question some days ago and the first thing I thought was yes, but you never know how things affect people you know. It can be that he really wants to beat me now and he is even stronger towards that feeling and it makes him even better, but on the other hand it can crush his morale it depends very much on what type of person he is. That can strike both ways, if he gets stronger off it, I probably should have lost the Diamond League finals just to sacrifice for the World Championships, but we'll see on Monday." WARHOLM BEING INTERVIEWED (SOUNDBITE) (English) 400M HURDLER KARSTEN WARHOLM SAYING: "Absolutely, in Norway it has always been about cross-country skiing you know. But for now, track and field is becoming very, very interesting. People love watching it and it is because we are a couple of guys delivering very good results on the world stage, so I am very proud to be one of the guys who can give my people that feeling." INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS WARHOLM BEING INTERVIEWED
- Embargoed: 11th October 2019 11:47
- Keywords: Karsten Warholm athletics hurdles Norway
- Location: DOHA, QATAR / LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: DOHA, QATAR / LONDON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: Qatar
- Topics: Athletics,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001AYFMT6N
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Norway's Karsten Warholm is hoping his rivalry with Rai Benjamin will live up to its billing and the 400m hurdles final is the race to watch at the World Athletics Championships.
The 23-year-old lays claim to the second fastest time in history, and will start favourite for gold in the Qatari capital of Doha.
But a coronation is by no means guaranteed, as American Rai Benjamin finished just a tenth of a second adrift when Warholm set a time of 46.92 in Brussels this year at the Diamond League final.
It was second only to Kevin Young's world record of 46.78 seconds set back in 1992, and Warholm said at a media event in Doha on Thursday (September 26) that he is hoping it has landed a mental blow as he looks to defend the title he won in London in 2017.
(Production: Abdel Hadi Ramahi, Iain Axon) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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