Tokyo (AFP)

A shock!

Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin offered over 400m hurdles one of the most beautiful races in the history of the Olympic Games, the Norwegian triumphing over the American by destroying the world record (45 sec 94) .

A duel, a real one, the very essence of athletics, between two opposing personalities, not eye to eye but side by side, a lap and 10 barriers with the assurance that an error will cost victory and glory.

Volcanic Karsten Warholm and placid Rai Benjamin delivered the very best on the world's biggest stage.

In 45 sec 94, the Norwegian smashed his own world record (46 sec 70) established on July 2 in Oslo, taking in his stride the American (46 sec 17) for two insane lap times.

The Olympic stadium in Tokyo - unfortunately empty of spectators - will have been the setting, as it had been that of another unforgettable duel, between Carl Lewis and Mike Powell at length, during the World Athletics Championships 30 years ago. years.

In the blaze of the Japanese summer (around 33 degrees and 60% humidity), the Brazilian Alison dos Santos even took 3rd place in 46 sec 72, better than the former world record of the American Kevin Young. (46.78), which held from 1992 to this summer, and which has now taken quite a bit of aging.

- "Crazy" -

"I am told that I am crazy when I say that he can bring down the world record under 46 seconds, but look at the figures closely," assured the 1992 Olympic champion to L'Equipe newspaper in the morning.

He had a nose, even though he was talking about Benjamin and not Warholm.

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On his knees after his victory, exhausted, Warholm delivered to his best opponent the duel which had not taken place neither in Monaco in July (Benjamin had canceled at the last minute), nor in their joint semi-final on Sunday, run without straining too much.

The 25-year-old two-time world champion upheld logic by becoming Olympic champion for the first time in his career.

He validates his grip on a discipline in full swing that he relaunched four years ago with Benjamin: 13 of the 20 best times of all time have been achieved by one or the other since 2018 (nine for Warholm, four for Benjamin).

Tokyo's feat has surely been helped by the appearance of new short-distance spikes in recent months, in the wake of what has happened in the middle distance for two years and on the road for five years.

45 sec 94: the winner's time makes you dizzy - it's already a very good performance without the barriers -, a time that Warholm went to look for in his style, attacking the race very hard before resisting at the end on Benjamin's return, he left barely "slower".

The women's race could offer as of Wednesday another epic duel, matched with a world record, between the two Americans Sydney McLaughlin and Dalilah Muhammad.

© 2021 AFP