World 400m hurdles record holder Karsten Warholm has confirmed he is ready to run the mixed 4x400m relay at the Birmingham 2026 European Athletics Championships this August.
The three-times European champion in the 400m hurdles confirmed his willingness to join the relay squad in an interview with NRK.
It comes fresh off the Norwegian women’s 4x400m team winning a surprise gold at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana earlier this month (3) in a national record of 3:20.96.
"I’m not going to try to force anyone to do it against their will"
“I think I can contribute something that means we should absolutely be able to fight for the gold medal in the mixed relay,” he said.
“And then we’ll have to see if we can get one more athlete capable of running close to 45.0 seconds,” he added, opening the door to another leading male one lap runner to commit to the event and give Norway a fighting chance of gold.
The most likely contender is 2023 European U23 400m champion and world finalist Håvard Bentdal Ingvaldsen. The 23-year-old could – potentially - complete a formidable quartet alongside Warholm, Olympic and world 400m finalist Henriette Jæger and twice European 400m hurdles finalist Amalie Iuel.
The latter two both played a key role in Norway’s recent breakthrough in Gaborone.
“I’m not going to try to force anyone to do it against their will. I’m ready, and then the rest will have to decide if they feel it fits for them,” Warholm added. "But it’s important that everyone is prepared to make it a priority.
“For the other men fighting for that place, I’d say it’s probably their best opportunity. So I think the spot is attractive.”
Iuel has big dream
Meanwhile Iuel commented: “I’ve always had a big dream of competing in the mixed relay there, and I hope we can field a strong team.
“I haven’t pressured Karsten too much because he’s such a major medal contender individually, and I don’t want this to affect him negatively.”
The mixed 4x400m relay takes place on the opening night of Birmingham 2026 which runs from 10-16 August.