OK, article translated:
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Warholm opens for 400 meters flat: - I look forward to it
TOKYO (VG) Karsten Warholm (25) states that he hopes the Olympic miracle in Tokyo is "just the beginning". Warholm and coach Leif Olav Alnes (64) open for 400 meters flat later this summer.
- Can we see Warholm at 400 meters flat during the late summer?
- We can not rule that out, Alnes says to Norwegian journalists on Thursday - after Warholm's record race and Olympic gold in Tokyo.
- He is good at it, says Alnes about Warholm's properties at 400 meters flat.
- I think it can be nice. I look forward to that, Warholm says to VG confronted with Alnes' statement.
- There is a high probability that I will try a little now. If I run like today, it will go crazy fast. Then it is probably well down to the 43s, Warholm says at the press conference after the medal ceremony.
- Will the 400 meter hurdles be enough inspiration in the future? asks VG.
- I hope so, because I think the guys who were behind me today will continue with it. They will continue to push the boundaries. It may be enough for me to find motivation in it, and in a way want to consolidate my position at the top, says Warholm.
In any case, it seems likely that we will see Warholm at 400 meters flat in the not too distant future, but there have been no dates for when this will happen.
Warholm even has the Norwegian record of 400 meters flat. He set it in 2017, with a time of 44.87.
In the European Championships 2018, he doubled, and ran both 400 meters hurdles and 400 meters flat. With hurdles it was gold, while he reached the final without hurdles. There a tired Warholm ran into last place in the time 46.68.
As is well known, Ulsteinvik's eldest son was a decathlete fighter before he switched to the 400 meter hurdles in the 2016 Olympics. Since then, the gold medals have flowed in.
- I have been looking forward to the Olympics. This has been missing in the collection. Now I want to let these things sink in and enjoy the moment to get inspiration to move on, says the Olympic champion.
- I hope this is just the beginning.
Even before the Alnes statement on Thursday, NRK's Jann Post believed that we could get Karsten Warholm on other distances in the future:
- I am very excited about whether he wants to run 400 meters flat. We discussed how fast it is possible to run, I said last year that he could run down to 44 blanks. Should I say he can run down to 43 blanks then? The world record is 43.03.
Post believes there are several possibilities:
- He has said himself that he wants to run 800 meters. Dobek in the 800 meter final on Wednesday ran 400 meter hurdles until last year. He was a much worse hurdler than Karsten Warholm. It is clear that this is also exciting.
- What do you advise him to do?
- I would not advise him to stop with what he is so good at, but that he can test the limits of a few other things I think he is curious about, Jan Post answers - and adds.
- He is 25 years old, twice world champion, two world records, European champion and Olympic champion.
Jane Fleming, former Australian athletics star, is convinced that Warholm can be good even at 400 meters flat.
- Clearly! When you run 400 meters hurdles in less than 46 seconds, he can perform times down to the world record also flat.
Andreas Thorkildsen was - until Tuesday - the last Norwegian with Olympic gold in athletics. He was originally brought in to train Warholm in javelin if there was a further decathlon commitment. But then it was 400 meters hurdles. He says this about the possibility that we will see Karsten Warholm at other distances:
- This is something he and Leif should decide. That's not my decision.
- But it would have been fun to see him at 400 meters flat and 200 meters, but the interesting thing is what he does at 400 hurdles now.
- The other is only of academic curiosity. And it would have been fun to see how he had done it.