– We have a larger repertoire

– There have been complaints that he opens too quickly, but I think he runs too slowly at the end, says coach Leif Olav Alnes somewhat humorously.

400 meter hurdles consists of ten hurdles of 91.4 centimeters with 35 meter intervals. From the last to the finish, it is 40 metres.

Warholm always uses 13 running strides between the first nine hurdles and bets on his best foot (right), while the challenge is what to do over the last one when the lactic acid is sky high.

Above the last hurdle there are several choices:

• Continue trying with 13 steps and focus on the right foot
• Go over to 14 steps and bet on the left foot
• Switch to 15 steps and focus on the right foot. The challenge then is not to become too “tripping” in the steps and lose speed.

Warholm has had varying results with switching to 15 steps:

• He did so when he set a world record of 45.94 when he won the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
• While he was annoyed that he lost a lot of time on it during the Bislett Games last year, despite the fact that the final time was strong (46.52).
• During the season finale in Eugene in September, he was caught by Rai Benjamin in the final meters and had to settle for a rare second place and a time of 46.53.

– I don’t think he would have been caught by Benjamin if he used 14 steps over the last hurdle there, says Alnes.

Ahead of the coming season, where the Olympics in Paris are the highlight, Alnes reveals that they have practiced a lot on the various methods.

– We still have measures in the bag that we haven’t used, so we’ll see if it’s successful, says Alnes.

He divides the measures into two categories:

• The tactical – which is how to solve the step rhythm
• The physical – “getting a bigger gas tank”

– The biggest potential for improvement is obviously the last 100 metres. Then there are the two things you can do, says Alnes.

He makes this analysis:

– Karsten has run 13 steps all the way, but then he has opened somewhat moderately and this has resulted in a slightly worse time. It is possible to do 13 steps to hurdles eight and nine, but 14 steps from there. He has not done that, because then he has to use what we call “silver foot” (which is the left foot).

– We have practiced a lot on “silver foot” for many years, and he is actually very good at it. Then there is some uncertainty about how good you are at the “silver foot” when you are 30 in lactatemeasurement of how much lactic acid one has. It’s not that often you get to train.

– We have a larger repertoire now that we practice.

Whether Warholm will test the “silver foot” when it matters most also depends on the wind conditions.

– We’ll see, says Alnes.

– How much do you discuss tactics? Many may think that there is little tactics – just getting to the finish line as fast as you can?

– It’s actually quite a lot, but you have to be very good before it becomes a big factor.

Warholm says he is always looking to make small steps to improve. The most important thing, he believes, is continuity.

– The amount of training has been extremely high over time. That continuity is an important and underrated measure – to build on what you had last year, says Warholm.

He believes he has become better at knowing his own body and can adjust his training based on how he feels that day.

– I probably train smarter now. Communication feels much smarter. Leif’s IQ is clearly contagious, says Warholm.

Alnes believes it is important to make a few adjustments at a time – to find out if they actually work.

– If you take many measures at the same time, it is more difficult to know whether they give positive answers or not, says Alnes.