| The rain was not quite as heavy as in Helsinki 2005, but conditions weren’t ideal for the final where Warholm took an immediate lead. Samba, Copello and Clement stayed in range as the Norwegian continued to lead. Clement moved into second as they reached the eighth barrier, with Samba ahead of Copello who was 4m behind Warholm. The positions changed rapidly after the last hurdle, with Copello scything through into second place. Samba had been poised for a medal, but stumbled and jogged to the finish, leaving Clement in third, 4m ahead of Mowatt. Warholm became Norway’s first track World Champion since 10,000m runner Ingrid Kristiansen in 1987. He immediately endeared himself to fans and photographers with a prolonged look of disbelief after the crossing the finish line, followed by a lap on honour wearing a Viking helmet with horns. “For me, this is just a good Norwegian summer, actually, so there was no worries,” he said in reference to the conditions. Two big contenders, McMaster and Stigler, were disqualified for running out of their lane in the first round. |
