– You can’t be afraid of getting injured, you just have to find smarter ways to train to minimize the risk, says Karsten Warholm to news during an interview at the Olympiatoppen in Oslo. Large parts of last season were a nightmare for the star runner. During the season opener in Rabat, Morocco, the hamstring twitched – an injury that left the 26-year-old almost without a chance in the battle for World Cup gold a few months later. Already in the summer, Warholm will have an opportunity to fight back. Then a new world championship awaits in Budapest. – I see it as an opportunity to avenge the painful defeat from the last WC, he says. THE INJURY: Here, Warholm touches the back of the thigh. The injury meant that the Norwegian was unable to return to top level before the WC in Eugene. Photo: news Warholm started the competition season at home in Ulsteinvik on 2 February. You can watch the Karsten Warholm Invitational on news. “Prehab” rather than rehab Warholm has had a few injuries throughout his career, but never one like the blow last year. But every time there was debris in the lightning-fast machinery, he and trainer Leif Olav Alnes seized the opportunity to learn. On social media, it has been possible to see Warholm running in a very special treadmill, where the lower body is in a separate chamber. It allows him to be weightless while sprinting. Another mill is without an engine and is pulled into motion by Warholm’s own power. This way they can adjust the load his precious legs are exposed to. This is just one of many moves and adaptations Team Warholm has made to take into account pain and protect against future injuries. – “Prehab” is better than rehab, says today’s words of wisdom from Sunnmøringen. – We have had some minor injuries throughout. This has led to us making some moves in training which we will take with us further. Many of the things we do in our daily training routine have now been a product of having had trouble at one point or another, he says. Calling the injury “refreshing”, he reports that he is sprinting like never before and that the hamstring injury is a closed chapter. Warholm went into a new autumn and winter season of training highly motivated and filled with a desire for revenge, and now says that his body is as good as new. – It has been refreshing when you look at it in retrospect. But I will try to avoid such slaps in the future, it is not pleasant, he says. DUO: Warholm and Alnes. Photo: Stian Lysberg Solum / NTB Warholm gives Alnes much of the credit for the way they constantly manage to see solutions instead of problems when unwanted situations arise. However, he warns against becoming passive and says that they “work as extremely as before”. You just have to be smart in the choices you make. – Leif is smarter than most. He makes these moves and ensures that you can train more without taking much greater risks. The more I work with him, the more I realize how important these steps are to taking new steps, he praises. – I feel the gout when I wake up, then I have to be even smarter in training, Warholm jokes, but with a hint of seriousness. Gathering the world in Ulsteinvik on February 2, Warholm returns to the starting line for the first time since the ISTAF convention in Berlin last September. During his own convention in Ulsteinvik, he lures the world to Northwest Norway. – That is the idea. The navel of the world, he grins. Sprint star Elaine Thompson-Herah, with five Olympic gold medals to her credit, is among those taking part in the event. STAR: Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica. Photo: Manish Swarup / AP Warholm himself will run 400 meters flat on his home track. He is looking forward to feeling his competitive nerves again and sees the event as a good step on the way to something bigger: this summer’s WC. There, he knows that rivals Rai Benjamin (USA) and Alison dos Santos (Brazil) will also compete. The trio are the three fastest athletes of all time in the 400 meter hurdles, and have ten of the eleven fastest races over the distance. In each corner of the world, they are charging up for one of the athletics world’s most anticipated duels. – I kind of like that tension. We are away from each other for many months, do the training and preparations on each side of the world, and then we meet in the summer and see who is the best.
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Karsten Warholm took action after the injury nightmare – promises revenge against rivals – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
