– If I feel something and think I can risk injuring myself at a race that only pays 4,000 dollars for a victory… Should I then sit injured for a month and hope that I make it to the WC? That’s what 400 meter hurdles star Rai Benjamin wrote on Twitter after withdrawing from the LA Grand Prix. This is just one of several cryptic messages from the American recently that indicate that not everything is as it should be. RIVAL: Rai Benjamin fell short in the Olympic final against Warholm. Photo: NTB Last week, Benjamin also withdrew from the Diamond League vote in Paris. Before a hectic and content-rich season, Karsten Warholm has no idea what the status of several of the rivals is. – I have zero control, actually. I have no personal contact with those boys apart from when we meet and I am there. I simply have no control over how they are and what the plan actually is, he tells news. Warholm opens the season during the Bislett Games on Thursday evening. You can see the vote on NRK1. Start list 400 meter hurdles, Bislett Games CJ Allen Trevor Bassitt Wilfried Happio Rasmus Mägi Khalifa Rosser Ludvy Vaillant Karsten Warholm Julien Watrin New injury for rival RIVAL: Abderrahman Samba Photo: NTB Benjamin is not the only one who is confused. Alison dos Santos, who won the WC last year, injured her meniscus and went under the knife in February. No one knows for sure whether the Brazilian will lose the WC in Budapest this summer. Warholm’s former main rival Abderrahman Samba was registered for the Diamond League vote in Doha, but never appeared. At the end of May he ran a smaller race in Italy, and on Thursday last week he was back in Paris. The 400 meter hurdles are notorious for being a “man killer” and in Paris Samba lay down injured before the first hurdle had been passed. Abderrahman Samba had to break before the first hurdle in Paris. The American CJ Allen believes that the competitors are pushing each other down. – When there is such tough competition, there is no calm atmosphere. You have to drive hard and give it your all every time. It is the toughest practice on the pitch, and it takes a toll physically and mentally. You have to get to the hooks quickly and be ready for the next time, he says to news. Mannefall: – It’s strange The condition and the form the competitors are in creates a bit of uncertainty for Warholm before the competition season really gets started. In any case, he must be ready to fight until the vote he has chosen. – At the same time, it becomes a bit of a joke when someone is there, then suddenly they withdraw. There is a lot of back and forth, and people get injured, says Warholm and continues: – It’s strange. Because there has been an enormously high level in the 400 meter hurdles, so it will be exciting to see how all the problems that people have affect the level in the long run. Or in the short term, actually, in the first months and in the future. – Can’t deny the rumor that Warholm will open the season at Bislett Stadium on Thursday evening. Rumor has it that the Sunnmøring is in great shape. – I can’t deny the rumour, he grins. COACH: Leif Olav Alnes is with Warholm through thick and thin. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB Most of the other athletics stars have already opened for the season, but together with coach Leif Olav Alnes, they have chosen a slightly more restrictive line in terms of the events they participated in. – When the machinery is as top-notch as it is now, it will also more skirts. That’s how we’ve always done it, and it works for us. We do not strive to compete, but aim for quality rather than quantity, he says and comes with a small Bislett promise: – I am excited to see what the final season will show, but I have a good feeling that we are definitely on to something , he grins. Doubts about pranks The Norwegian star does not think Benjamin is playing pranks when he writes about his own injury problem on Twitter, but assumes that the injury is small enough for the American to be in top form for the WC. Last year, an injury-plagued Warholm missed out on the WC gold, but he wants the best possible competition when first places and medals are to be settled again. – In terms of politeness, one would say that it is a bit sad, but I think many people feel that it also opens a door. It’s a jungle out there. One man’s death is another man’s bread. But I feel that I am past that, I want to compete at the highest level and beat the best, he says.
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Full confusion around Karsten Warholm’s rivals – season opener at Bislett – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
