Karsten Warholm remembers two things about the moment everything changed — in that magical race, in his career and in his life.
This was just before the last hurdle and the mad 30-meter dash to the finish of the 400-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics. He glimpsed his rival, Rai Benjamin, suddenly closing on his left shoulder. Exhausted and running out of oxygen, he began to see stars. And then, in an instant, Benjamin was gone, and Warholm was crossing the finish line to win the gold medal for Norway, a rarity for a country far better known for winter sports, salmon and oil wealth.