Three-time world champion Karsten Warholm made a thunderous return to the track at the Xiamen Diamond League, obliterating his own 300m hurdles world best in a jaw-dropping 33.05 seconds.
The Norwegian superstar, who hadn’t raced since August 2024, finished ahead of Brazil’s Matheus Lima (33.98) and Japan’s Ken Toyoda (34.22).
Warholm’s performance in Xiamen was historic. He shattered his previous world best of 33.26, set in Oslo in 2021, the same year he broke the legendary 400m hurdles world record.
But despite the commanding victory, Warholm how a bizarre sensation in his legs forced him to dig deeper than expected.
“I was a little bit surprised by how easy my legs were feeling off the last bend,” Karsten Warholm confessed.
“Of course, you feel it a little bit in the end, but I managed to really push in the last 45 metres. This shows that the speed is there and the speed over the hurdles is there.”
Fresh off this electrifying season debut, Warholm isn’t slowing down.
“I am looking to win as much as I can, and improve my level as much as possible. That is the only goal all the time. I am hungry for more gold medals believe it or not.”
Warholm’s Xiamen triumph adds yet another milestone to an already storied career. He is the reigning Olympic champion (Tokyo 2020), a two-time Diamond League champion, and the only athlete in history to win three World Championship titles in the 400m hurdles.
In 2021, he broke the world record, won World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year, and delivered a historic track season.
Warholm’s latest feat could be the beginning of another legendary chapter in his career.
