¶2017 WC m400H: Karsten Warholm (Norway) 48.35

[CookyMonzta]

The rain has become a psychological weapon in its own right. Now I really worry for Allyson in the open 400.

QED.

And the monsoon cramped Miller-Uibo on the stretch.

Was Kerron Clement also playing it way too safe because of the rain?

[lapsus]

Not saying it's a huge year for 400H but how many finals over the years were ran on rainy tracks and similar cold?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAlFB00nV8Q

While it was not during the big thunderstorm, I do remember that that 47.30 was not run in anywhere near ideal conditions.

[CookyMonzta]

Warholm will get his chance to run for a PR in a few weeks. If he can get under 47.5 Ill say he has the mantle, otherwise Ill assume the event is at a low point.

This event has been at a low point the very day after the finals at London 2012. Never have so many (including a slowly-aging Clement) struggled to break 48.00, and I didn't think we'd ever have a season (2014) in which nobody broke 48.00.

[Peter Michaelson]

Pretty sure Shawn Crawford ran his 100m 1st round in 2004 with a backwards baseball cap on his head.

[Peter Michaelson]

(Was replying to gh's question.)

[Jacksf]

This is only Warholm's 2nd season in the event, right?
Could be a lot more to come from him.
His rise is reminiscent of Dafne Schippers. They were both multi-eventers and switched to sprints, and then won WC titles not long after their event changes.

[Powell]

Second season as a full-time hurdler, he did compete in it a few times before 2016.

I've been keeping an eye on him since he won silver at EJC at both decathlon and 400, with the 400 final coming in the middle of the first day of the decathlon. Had he not doubled, it's likely he could have taken gold in either event.

[Per Andersen]

One guy who was not bothered by the rain was Warholm. The guy practically grew up in rain and storm on the coast of central Norway, Ulsteinvik. Way up in his teens he only had access to a small 30x50 ft. gym. In winter in cold, dark and snow he ran on a North Sea beach at low tide so he had some chance to use a regular running stride. Nothing bothers this guy. He has enormous belief in himself and he is a rare athletic talent. When he was younger he was a much better sprinter and HJer than hurdler but he understood what his future event would be after the Decathlon was out of the question. Then he figured out stride patterns and lead-leg and then, Bingo!!!

With Clement - what Atticus warned about happened, hopeless over that last hurdle.

[Powell]

Why did he have to quit the decathlon? Physical issues?

[Per Andersen]

Why did he have to quit the decathlon? Physical issues?

Throws were his weak spot. It would be too much of a long shot.

What I find interesting is that 400h and 400m have been the two weakest events in Norwegian T&F history. The only two events with no Norwegian in or near world class.

[AS]

To reinforce Per's point, it appears Norway have NEVER had a starter in the 400m at WC. And before Warholm, their best 400mH effort was a 5th place in a heat back in 1983 in 51.67.

[einnod23]

Slow, but very consistent....!

[CookyMonzta]

To reinforce Per's point, it appears Norway have NEVER had a starter in the 400m at WC. And before Warholm, their best 400mH effort was a 5th place in a heat back in 1983 in 51.67.

Maybe not in the 400 or 400H, but if I'm not mistaken, they had a finalist in the 1995 World Champs 200; Geir Moen, who won the 1994 Euro 200 and 1995 World Indoor 200.

[CookyMonzta]

Slow, but very consistent....!

Yup; this race reminded me of David Patrick's 1989 World Cup win in the rain (48.74).

[Alan Shank]

I was there. My impressions:
1) the 2-3-4 lanes were VERY wet, with 8 and 9 nearly dry.
2) Clement was gaining on Warholm at a sufficient pace to catch him, until hurdle 10. My freind next to me said, "He doesn't have enough of a lead".
3) Clement, last year and this, has almost stopped chopping at 8, 9 and 10, and that's why he won the Olympic title and ran that nice 48.02 at <fill in DL race). He was doing really well at 8 and 9, but he was really charging, and that may have put him too close to 10. He did his little "mince steps", lost momentum, but still gained on Warholm a bit, not nearly enough.
4) Warholm could hardly believe that no one caught him, much like Bosse in the 800.
Cheers,
Alan Shank
Holiday Inn, Regents Park, London