“Not Curing Cancer”: Track and Field Star Makes Bold Claim Over Sport Ahead of Major Return

Some people don’t just win; they dominate. But for one Norwegian, this is the reality he lives each day. From dominating the 400m hurdles at Tokyo 2020 and winning the gold to shattering world records, he has redefined the sport itself. His feat speaks for itself. Multiple world championships? Check. The world record score of 45.94? Check. Being the center of bold claims? Check. Wait, what? Well, just as everyone thought they had seen everything from the Norwegian, they just got a new headline. So what did he say?

Well, if you are still wondering who we are talking about, then it is none other than Olympian Karsten Warholm. And the buzz surrounding him began on May 2, 2025, during a press conference at the Wanda Diamond League in Keqiao, China, the second stop of the 2025 season. Warholm, sporting a Red Bull cap and seated behind a table with a Diamond League trophy, water bottles, and sponsor logos like Puma and Omega in the background, didn’t hold back.

“We are not curing cancer, we are entertaining people,” he declared, as shared in the Diamond League’s X post. The event, streamed globally on platforms like YouTube according to diamondleague.com, set the stage for Warholm’s bold claim about the role of track and field. But what deeper insight did he share about his passion for the sport?

Warholm expanded on his statement with a heartfelt take: “We are not curing cancer; we are running around the track to have fun and to entertain people, and I think that’s an aspect of it that is really important to keep.” He added, “So, yeah, we keep on pushing, but most of all, we keep on having fun and trying to entertain the audience that is there to see us run.”

For Warholm, the motivation is clear: “This is the reason why I keep on doing the sport: because I find it funny. It gives me a lot of joy in my life. It gives me the feeling of doing something good.” As fans, we love this raw perspective, but how did his season start leading up to this moment?

Karsten Warholm Breaks Men’s 300m Hurdles World Record in Xiamen

Warholm’s 2025 season started with a bang at the Diamond League opener in Xiamen on April 26, where he shattered his world best in the 300m hurdles. He clocked 33.05 seconds, slicing 0.21 seconds off his previous record of 33.26, set in Oslo in 2021. Having last raced in Silesia in August 2024, Warholm dominated the field by nearly a second in an event that saw eight meeting records fall that day.

With the 300m hurdles soon to be an official world record discipline, this performance was a clear signal of his readiness. But what about that previous record he broke in Oslo? Warholm’s prior 300m hurdles world best came on June 11, 2020, during the Impossible Games at Bislett Stadium in Oslo, an exhibition event held under strict COVID-19 protocols with a cardboard cutout crowd.

Running solo against the clock, Warholm targeted Chris Rawlinson’s 2002 mark of 34.48 and obliterated it with a time of 33.26 seconds, a record that stood until Xiamen. Reflecting on his 2025 race, Warholm noted, “I was a little bit surprised by how easy my legs were feeling off the last bend,” adding, “Of course you feel it a little in the end, but I managed to push in the last 45 meters.” With such a strong foundation, how will Warholm’s joyful approach influence his upcoming races in the Diamond League season?