Norwegian hurdling sensation Karsten Warholm continued his unstoppable 2025 campaign, blazing to victory in the 400m hurdles at the Shanghai Diamond League with a world-leading time of 47.28 seconds.
Just a week after smashing the 300m hurdles world best (33.05) in Xiamen, Warholm returned to his signature event and delivered another masterclass.
Brazil’s Matheus Lima secured a lifetime best of 48.08s for second place, while Sweden’s Carl Bengtstrom took third in 48.72s.
Despite the win, Karsten Warholm was critical of his performance, admitting he struggled with his rhythm.
“It was a very messy race. I hit a couple of hurdles, so actually, running 47.28 with such a messy race shows potential,” Karsten said.
“I don’t think I learned anything from today—I almost stopped and lost quite a bit of time. Still, a win is a win, and 47.28 is not too shabby.”
The Norwegian remains confident in his ability to refine his races.
“Now it’s back home to training and preparing for Oslo. You always want to use every occasion to send a message. The message I sent is that my potential is very good, once I clean up my races, which I’m sure I will.”
Warholm’s 2025 form is already ahead of his legendary 2021 season, when he opened with a 300m hurdles world best (33.26) before shattering the 400m hurdles world record (46.70) in Oslo. This year, he’s running even faster early on, fueling speculation that he could challenge his own world record of 45.94—set at the Tokyo Olympics.
After securing Olympic silver in 2023, Warholm’s blistering start signals his determination to chase a historic fourth world title at the 2025 Tokyo World Championships.
With the Diamond League moving to Doha next, Warholm will look to sharpen his technique and continue his dominance.
