‘I’m world champion, that’s crazy’
LONDON:Norwegian Karsten Warholm aped “The Scream” by Edvard Munch when he realised he had won the men’s 400 metres hurdles title and his victory could prove as valuable to the sport as the painting is to the Norwegian tourism industry.
Athletics is desperately seeking new and quirky characters to fill the huge vacuum that will be left by the retirement of Jamaican superstar Usain Bolt and to a lesser extent British distance legend Mo Farah.
Warholm fills several boxes being only 21 years old and exhibiting an exciting style of running, showing no fear in leading from the gun to the tape and leaving one of the all-time greats in Kerron Clement trailing in his wake.
Not bad for someone who was doing the decathlon not so long ago. He has taken to the event like a duck to water.
“I truly don’t believe it,” said Warholm, who donned a Viking hat on his lap of honour.
“I’ve worked so hard for this, but I don’t know what I have done.
“This is an amazing feeling. I’m world champion, that’s crazy.”
Warholm, who hails from the tiny town of Ulsteinvik – population just over 6,000, says in selfdeprecatory fashion he wouldn’t be able to run any other way.
“I have one way to do it, and I did it,” he said.
“I’m young, I’m stupid, going hard works for me.”
Warholm said that he didn’t want to sound arrogant but he wouldn’t have stood a chance of winning if he’d lacked self-belief despite being a relative novice. under their country’s flag. AFP