"I apologise to everybody who had my back"- Karsten Warholm breaks silence after losing to Mondo Duplantis in the highly anticipated 100m clash

Norwegian star hurdler Karsten Warholm has reacted after losing to Mondo Duplantis in a 100m special exhibition race at the Letzigrund Stadium, one day before the 2024 Zurich Diamond League. Notably, both Warholm and Duplantis hold world records in their respective events, with Warholm clocking 45.94s in the 400m hurdles and Duplantis clearing 6.26m in the pole vault.

Before the race, Warholm had a personal best of 10.49s in the 100m which he achieved in 2017 during the Florø Indoor Games. Meanwhile, Duplantis ran 100m last in the year 2018 with 10.69s (no wind information) and 10.57s (wind-assisted) being his best timings.

With the highly anticipated showdown set to begin in the stadium filled with many athletes and fans, Karsten Warholm entered alongside his coach, Leif Olav Alnes. At the same time, Duplantis arrived with an entourage that included Letsile Tebogo, Sha’Carri Richardson, Fred Kerley, Vernon Norwood, and Renaud Lavillenie.

As the show began, Mondo Duplantis clinched a dominant victory over Warholm as he ran a swift 10.37s against Warholm’s 10.47s. Following the race, Karsten Warholm took to his Instagram to congratulate Duplantis on his victory and thank Puma, RedBull, and Zurich for organizing the race. He wrote in his post:

“What an event yesterday! Congrats my friend @mondo_duplantis ! You were strong🙌 Thanks to @puma , @redbull and @weltklassezurich for putting on this special event🙌 “

However, the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist was disappointed with his race and apologized to the people who supported him, adding:

“My race was bad and I apologise to everybody who had my back! I will be better🫶”

How did Mondo Duplantis and Karsten Warholm perform in the Zurich Diamond League?

Armand Duplantis and Karsten Warholm pose for a photo together after the 100m Sprint Showdown. (Photo Daniela Porcelli/by Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Mondo Duplantis cleared 5.82 metres to achieve yet another Diamond League meeting win in Zurich. Although it wasn’t one of the dominating victories of Duplantis, he still secured the win in the meet after both he and the United States’ Sam Kendricks failed to clear the 6.02m mark.

Meanwhile, Karsten Warholm, however, opted out from the 400m hurdles event as he felt tightness in his hamstring during warm-ups. In the absence of Warholm, Jamaica’s Roshawn Clarke won the event with a season-best performance of 47.49s, while Olympic bronze medalist Alison dos Santos didn’t finish the race.

Although Warholm didn’t compete in the 400m hurdles at the Zurich Diamond League, he still donned a Sweden jersey as part of a bet between him and Duplantis, and made an appearance in the stadium. Notably, the loser of their 100m showdown had to wear the winner’s vest at the Zurich event.