Warholm Takes Fourth European 400m Hurdles Title in 46.63

Karsten Warholm claimed a historic fourth consecutive European 400m hurdles title in Birmingham, crossing the line in a championship record of 46.63 seconds.

A fast start settles the contest

Drawn in lane six, the Norwegian made his explosive start and passed Germany's Emil Agyekum by the third hurdle. He motored away down the far straight and was never threatened.

Warholm came off the final bend well clear of the field. He won by more than a second, with Agyekum taking silver in 47.87 and Turkey's İsmail Nezir bronze in 48.26.

Four titles, one record book

The victory broke his own championship mark of 46.98 set in Rome two years earlier. It also moved him past German great Harald Schmid as the sole record holder for European 400m hurdles titles.

Since 2016, only one European has beaten Warholm in a race. He now holds 34 of the fastest times ever run by a European athlete in the event.

"I don't take any medal for granted but today was extra special for me as nobody has ever won four in a row," he told reporters afterwards. "In championships the medals always matter more than the times."

Warholm held up four fingers to the sold-out Alexander Stadium, marking a run of continental dominance that began in Berlin in 2018.