World record holder in the 400m hurdles, Karsten Warholm traveled to the USA on Wednesday, according to nettavisen.no, but remains uncertain about competing at the upcoming World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
The reigning world champion from Doha 2019 suffered a thigh injury in his season opener at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat on 5 June and hasn’t competed since.
It is understood that the 26-year-old has been steadily improving from his injury but he revealed that he’s still undergoing rehabilitation, which puts his participation at the world championships in doubt.
“I’m still undergoing rehabilitation, but it’s going the right way,” Warholm said on nettavisen.no. “At the same time, it is clear that I need the time to be 100 percent ready for the competition.”
Warholm, the 2017 and 2019 world champion, started the season as the leading contender to win the gold medal in Oregon later this month after running an incredible 45.94 seconds to win the men’s 400m hurdles and broke the world record at the Olympics in Tokyo last August.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, although Warholm has been improving and is back in regular training, his coach insists they will not risk creating any further issues by pushing him to compete at the championship if he is not fully fit.
Warholm Not Willing To Take Any Unnecessary Risk In Oregon
“We work systematically and well with expert follow-up of the damage. We do what we believe in – and we see progress,” his coach Leif Olav Alnes was quoted as saying on nettavisen.no. “We are positive, but realistic considering that this type of injury needs time and we do not want to take any chances of starting too early.”
The men’s 400m hurdles is a highly competitive event again this season with Olympic bronze medalist Alison dos Santos of Brazil leading the world top list with a sizzling 46.80 secs. Olympic silver medalist Rai Benjamin (47.04) and his fellow American countrymen Trevor Bassitt (47.47) and Khallifah Rosser (47.65) have also been in good form this season.
“As most people have realized, the level of 400 meters hurdles is very high at the moment,” said Warholm. “I do not want to wonder where I stand. It is difficult based on the injury break I have had – and the build-up that I am currently working on.
“We’ll see what I can do. I will at least do my very best. Then we will see in retrospect what it is about.”
The World Athletics Championships to be held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, will take place from 15-24 July.
