Olympic champion Karsten Warholm goes viral with snowy sprint workout
Who says you can't run track in the winter?
Photo by:
Kevin Morris
Becoming a world and Olympic champion demands unwavering mental strength and discipline. Not every training day is a breeze, especially when weather conditions turn harsh. Karsten Warholm, a Norwegian 400m hurdler, took his recent track workout outdoors in the middle of winter, embracing the frigid temperatures and a snow-covered track at Bislett Stadium in Oslo.
In an Instagram video, the three-time world champion showcased his determination, running shirtless in -21 C weather on a barely plowed track, with the sound of crunching ice beneath his PUMA spikes. Warholm powered through 150m sprint repeats, playfully hitting a wall of snow at the finish line, poking fun at the indoor 60m event (which has athletes run into a large mat after the finish).
“I am putting the win in winter,” Warholm yelled in the video. “It’s -21 C outside, but no excuses.”
Fans were both amazed and baffled by Warholm’s audacious winter training, particularly his choice to run in spikes, shorts and no shirt in icy weather. The video humorously captured his coach, Leif Olav Alnes, dressed the opposite as Warholm, completely bundled and shivering, holding a stopwatch at the finish line.
Social media exploded with comments, with fans playfully saying, “How to get hypothermia 101.” Even former four-time Olympic sprint medallist Ato Boldon joined in, jokingly asking, “Was the indoor facility unavailable?”
Warholm, the reigning Olympic and world champion in the men’s 400m hurdles, holds five of the top 10 400m hurdles times in history, including his world record of 45.94 set at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This video of his extreme winter training has to be a tribute to his Viking ancestors, showcasing his reputation as one of the toughest sprinters in the world.
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