Alison dos Santos intimately understands the intense frustration of running faster than a world record and still walking away without a victory. He finally achieved his ultimate dream five years after a devastating Olympic defeat by setting a blistering 45.80 world record in Zurich. However, his historic celebration was unexpectedly interrupted by a highly unusual trackside incident.
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While speaking to FloTrack after his historic race on August 28, dos Santos suddenly noticed that someone had taken his racing shoes. The newly crowned world record holder looked surprised by the situation and joked, “He just took my shoes, did you hear that? How am I gonna run now?”
This bizarre post-race moment was quickly overshadowed by the profound emotional redemption he secured on the track.
At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, dos Santos ran 46.72 seconds, which was faster than the previous world record of 46.70, yet he still finished third behind Karsten Warholm and Rai Benjamin.
“Because 2021, I run 46.7, and that was faster than the previous world record,” dos Santos recalled. “But I was third and that was painful.”
That lingering disappointment served as the primary motivation for his latest athletic breakthrough.
“And I was like, yo, the next time that I break a world record, I gotta make sure I cross the line first,” he explained. He accomplished exactly that in Zurich, powering to a 45.80 finish to shatter Warholm’s previous 45.94 mark. “And I was able to do that today,” dos Santos said, summarizing his goal simply: “Just come out here, run some 45 and show that we’re in great shape.”
His flawless execution on the track left his fiercest rival completely stunned by the sheer velocity of the race.
Karsten Warholm reveals his shock after Alison dos Santos’ record-breaking run
The Brazilian came out aggressively and established himself near the front from the opening stages, maintaining a relentless rhythm over the hurdles. He crossed the line in 45.80, lowering Warholm’s world record by 0.14 seconds to become the fastest 400m hurdler in human history. Warholm finished second in 46.69, openly admitting after the race that he never expected the Brazilian to produce such a massive performance.
“My first reaction is honestly that I was a bit shocked,” Warholm confessed to reporters. The two athletes had raced against each other just four days earlier at the Silesia Diamond League, where dos Santos won in 46.43 seconds while Warholm finished close behind in 46.52. Warholm noted that absolutely nothing from their previous matchup indicated a world record was imminent.
Warholm admitted that what he saw there did not suggest dos Santos was about to take the world record in Zurich.
“From Silesia it did not look like it was going to come today, I would say,” he said. Nevertheless, Warholm was quick to give credit to the man who had just taken his record.
“Alison is a great competitor, a really, really fast hurdler. I gotta say congratulations and give him the respect that is deserved.” The Norwegian star acknowledged the extreme difficulty of responding to such a historic mark as the 2026 track season approaches its thrilling conclusion.