Relentless, grounded, fearless. That’s the best way to describe him. On track, he is known for intensity in training, clarity in competition, and unforgettable moments. One of those moments was his celebration after the world record in Tokyo 2021: a scream, a singlet torn to shreds, pure emotion. In the podcast, Colin Jackson immediately recalled it: “Most probably known for ripping your shirt off,” he laughed. Warholm himself takes it lightly – for him, it’s not a ritual, but the outlet after a race in which he gave everything.

The Race of His Life

That race in Tokyo 2021 was the race of his life: 45.94 seconds over 400m hurdles – a time no one had thought possible. “I thought it had to be wrong. But honestly: that day it was only about winning.” The fact that it became a world record was the result of years of meticulous work and a moment when everything fell into place.

His career could easily have gone differently. For a long time, Warholm was a multi-eventer, trying football, decathlon, sprints, and hurdles. “For me it was always about doing everything. I really love to compete – that’s where everything started,” he says in the podcast. Only when he moved to coach Leif Olav Alnes in Oslo in 2015 did the decision fall in favor of the 400m hurdles. “I just wanted the fastest way to the top,” he says. Just a year later, he was at the Olympic Games in Rio, and in 2017 he became world champion in London. Even he was surprised at how quickly it all happened.

“Well done is better than well said”

Since then, Warholm has lived in a rhythm with hardly any pauses. Ten years with almost no holidays, often back in training just five days after a major title. “Well done is better than well said,” he quotes his coach in the podcast – and lives exactly by that. Words matter little – what counts is the time on the clock at the finish line.

But Warholm also knows setbacks. In 2022, he tore a muscle in his very first race of the season, yet still lined up at the World Championships. His motto hasn’t changed: “I have no fear of losing. I only fear not improving.” It carried him through injuries – and now also through a fifth place in Tokyo. For Warholm, what matters is not a single result, but the attitude of always proving himself again and again.

Grounded beyond the track

Off the track, Warholm remains grounded. He still lives with his partner and friends from his hometown and speaks openly in the podcast about how important those roots are to him. And he has an unusual passion: Lego – a counterbalance to the intensity of training, a small return to calm. “In a world full of distractions, it’s almost like a reset,” he says.

Warholm does not define himself by titles, but by the way he has earned them. Since 2019, Karsten Warholm has been part of the PUMA family. He remains relentless in training, grounded in daily life, and fearless in competition. That’s what makes him an athlete who not only shapes races but also makes PUMA’s spirit visible.