"That’s where I lost it today"- World Record holder Karsten Warholm weighs in on loss to Rai Benjamin at the Monaco Diamond League

Norwegian sprinter Karsten Warholm recently spoke about his defeat to Rai Benjamin at the Monaco Diamond League 2024 on July 12. The 28-year-old, who lost in the 400m hurdles, hopes to fine-tune his run ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Warholm, who won gold in the Tokyo Olympics, will hope to defend his title at Paris. His popularity shot up after winning three 400 m hurdles events at the World Championships in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Warholm is also a two-time champion at the Diamond League in 2019 and 2021.

However, at the recent Diamond League installment in Monaco at Stade Louis II, Warholm came second in the final of 400m hurdles. The athlete clocked 46.73s in a thrilling showdown with Benjamin, who won with 46.67s. They will face each other again in Paris on July 26.

Reflecting on his defeat to Benjamin, Warholm spoke to Citius Mag about where he thinks he lost the race. He is focused on fixing those errors ahead of the Paris Olympics.

“Coming off hurdle ten, I still feel like I had something to respond with, but (Rai Benjamin) came off hurdle ten with a little more pace than me and that’s where I lost it today.”

He further added,

“That’s how it is. These are the things we’re going to fix when it comes to Paris. I still feel like I have something up my sleeve.”

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Karsten Warholm on his training regime ahead of the Paris Olympics 2024

Karsten Warholm holds the world record for the fastest 400m finish (IMAGE: GETTY)

Warholm recently spoke about his vision for the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an interview with Puma pre-Olympic with Citius Mag, he spoke about his training regime and will to take risks.

“If you don't take risks in sports, you will never have 45 seconds in the 400m hurdles and it's like, you need to take risks in training, that's the risk that people don't see. You need to take risks in the execution part of the race, which is the part people see. That's the way I like to do it. I think, being aggressive, to always (be) fighting, running like an underdog – even though you’re not – that is my focus,"

The athlete explained that he modified the volume of his training along with amplifying its quality. He has also been consistent with his strength game.

Karsten Warholm has the bragging rights for the men's fastest 400m hurdles record. He clocked the world lead of 45.94 seconds at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, beating Benjamin to second place.