Karsten Warholm wins 400m hurdles title Birmingham; 46.63s championship record
2026 European Athletics Championships: Karsten Warholm surges to historic fourth 400m hurdles European title with championship record
2026 European Athletics Championships: Karsten Warholm surges to historic fourth 400m hurdles European title with championship record
The Norwegian broke his own championship record to take the win in 46.63 seconds, followed by Germany’s Emil Agyekum who took silver, while Türkiye’s İsmail Nezir won bronze.
Norway’s Karsten Warholm has claimed the 400m hurdles title for a historic fourth consecutive time, extending his own record with victory on Friday (14 August) at the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and world record holder got away from the blocks in his characteristically rapid style and quickly established a commanding lead.
Warholm came off the final bend well clear of the field before crossing the finish line in 46.63 seconds , breaking his own championship record of 46.98 set two years ago in Rome.
The 30-year-old then celebrated by holding up four fingers, a tribute to the four European titles he has now won, adding to his victories in 2018, 2022 and 2024 .
“Honestly, this is the reason I do it, to come out here in front of people and to repeat the title,” he said. “ It’s always about the big moment .
“I don’t take any medal for granted but today was extra special for me as nobody has ever won four in a row. I was so locked in today. In championships, the medals always matter more than the times. It’s very important as that’s what adds to the résumé and sticks forever .”
It’s Warholm’s second gold medal of these championships, after helping Norway’s mixed 4x400m relay team to gold on the opening day.
Germany’s Emil Agyekum ran 47.87 for silver, his first individual medal at the championships, while Türkiye’s İsmail Nezir completed the podium with bronze in 48.26 .
Warholm is Europe’s undisputed king of the 400m hurdles
Warholm had already established himself as the undisputed king of European sprint hurdling, and on Friday night, he further cemented his position as the standard-bearer in the 400m hurdles in Europe.
With his 46.63, the two-time Olympic medallist now owns the 34 fastest times in the event by a European athlete .
In fact, since his professional debut season in the event, when he reached the semi-finals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Warholm has only been beaten once by a European - at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, when he finished seventh while still fighting his way back from injury.
Agyekum’s silver is a fitting reward for an impressive season in which the 27-year-old broke Harald Schmidt’s 34-year-old national record of 47.48 with his 47.45 at July’s London Diamond League.
He has broken the 48-second barrier four times in 2026 alone, and an individual medal adds to the 4x400m relay bronze he won in 2024.
Picture by 2026 Getty Images
Athletics | European Championships | Birmingham | United Kingdom