"I was a little bit lactic and couldn’t get the flow"- Karsten Warholm reveals reason behind gold medal loss to Rai Benjamin at Paris Olympics

Karsten Warholm has disclosed what he believes cost him a gold medal in the men’s 400m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics. Going into the race as the defending champion, Warholm hoped to win his second title but was overtaken by Rai Benjamin.

In the hotly contested race, Warholm finished second in 47.06 seconds. Benjamin won 46.46 as Brazil’s Alison dos Santos completed the podium, clocking 47.26 to get bronze.

In a post-race interview, Warholm said he started the race on a high note but lost the rhythm in clearing the hurdles near the finish line. The three-time world champion noted that he felt like he was in charge as the race began, but then took time to recover from the mishap.

"I think it was good the first 300m and then I messed up hurdle nine, but it’s also because I was a little bit lactic and couldn’t get the flow from eight to nine," Warholm said as per Chris Chavez.

"Up until that point, I felt like it was a good race, I felt like I was in control of everything that I can, but you can’t afford those mistakes at this level. Rai did a great job of being composed and taking home the gold," he added.

Warholm was disappointed with silver, but did not forget to acknowledge high-quality competition at the Olympics.

"I think at this level everybody has put in the work where they can say they deserve it. Whoever takes it is the better man on this day, and then of course you deserve it. Of course, in my head, I think I deserve it as well," Warholm said.

"This is not charity, so everybody is doing what they can to be the better man on the day, and today that was him. Of course, I don’t like it to play out that way, but that’s how it goes. Got to smile a little bit for silver, the level is so high," he added.

Karsten Warholm speaks about breaking his world record

Karsten Warholm speaks about breaking his world record (IMAGE: Getty)

Karsten Warholm opened up about whether he has plans to break his world record this season, with the Paris Olympics now behind him.

In an interview with the Guardian, Warholm remained vague on plans to go after the record, noting that every time he speaks about breaking the record, it never happens.

"There are no guarantees. I’ve been saying before: 'Now I’ll go to this race to break the world record’, and it never happened," Warholm said.

"Tokyo was not about breaking the world record, it was about winning Olympic gold. But it turned out to be a fantastic race, one for the history books. That’s probably how world records are broken. It’s the perfect day, with the perfect opponents and perfect equipment," he added.

Warholm shattered the world record at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He was flawless as he clocked a blistering 45.94 seconds to break his world record at the time.