Karsten Warholm's eyes almost bulged out when he looked at the billboard after his mad run.

45.94 seconds stood there for the Olympic champion over 400 meter hurdles from Norway, Warholm tore his jersey.

A world record was almost expected from the 25-year-old, but 45.94 seconds?

Never.

Not this unreal, fabulous time, a shock, a time that also raises questions.

“This is so crazy, crazy.

This is by far the greatest moment of my life, ”said Warholm after improving his own record by 76 hundredths of a second.

For comparison: Marvin Schlegel from Chemnitz managed 46.39 seconds over the 400 meters flat in Tokyo - without (!) Hurdles in the way, he was almost half a second slower than Warholm.

As the first runner under 46 seconds

It was clear that the 400 meter hurdles would be an absolute highlight.

But what Warholm and Co. then did in the Olympic Stadium was almost surreal.

Silver medalist Rai Benjamin (USA) also stayed in this ultra-fast race with 46.17 seconds, well below Warholms old world record of July 1st (46.70).

Bronze went to the Brazilian Alison Dos Santos, who with 46.72 seconds was also faster than Kevin Young from the USA in his Olympic victory in 1992. His 46.78 seconds from Barcelona was a world record for 29 years before Warholm was 46 on July 1st , Lay down for 70 seconds.

Only five runners in history ran times under 47 seconds.

Warholm was the first to crack an unbelievable 46 seconds.

“I trained like a bloody maniac,” said Warholm. “I struggled to fall asleep last night because I had this special feeling in my chest.

It's like the feeling I had on Christmas Eve when I was six.

A feeling that you don't believe you will have again when you are older.

But I had it last night. "

Of course, the Mondo track laid in Tokyo is super hard and therefore super fast.

Warholm pays close attention to his diet, his trainer Leif Olav Alnes is known as a detail-obsessed nerd.

Warholms spikes are a high-tech product with a built-in carbon plate; the carbon fiber is also used in Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 car.

But: 45.94 seconds over 400 m hurdles?

Can this be done with the right things?

“It was the biggest race in the history of the Olympic Games,” said Benjamin, who was beaten in this epic final: “I think even Usain Bolts 9.58 seconds, the world record over 100 meters from the 2009 World Cup, can't keep up .

Three guys were faster than the old world record. ”Almost too good to be true.