Karsten Warholm (26) is in the process of getting national and international athletics stars in place for his own event, the Karsten Warholm® Invitational (KWI). The athletics festival will be held for the third time on the 2nd of February.
The event offers international matching for many of the best track and field athletes in Norway, including Karsten Warholm, Marcus Thomsen, Hedda Hynne, Amalie Iuel, Elisabeth Slettum and Henrik Flåtnes.
Several of the exercises will be at the international top level. From abroad comes, among others, the Ukrainian high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh (21), who is the reigning indoor world champion from 2022. She has 2.06 as a personal indoor record. She has two World Cup silver outdoors for seniors (Doha and Eugene) as well as bronze from the Olympics in Tokyo.
Michal Haratyk (30) from Poland, who has a personal record of 22.32 and EC gold in the shot put from both 2018 (outdoors) and 2019 (indoors), is competing in the shot put. As well as Bob Bertemes (29) from Luxemburg who has a personal record of 22.22. Norwegian Marcus Thomsen with a press of 21.09 will test himself against some of the best in the world in Ulsteinvik.
- This will be the best shot put competition indoors on Norwegian soil ever. Ukrainian Yaroslava Mahuchikh in height will also be a rare treat in international athletics. There will be long bumps and high jumps in Ulsteinvik, concludes Ståle Jan Frøynes, who is responsible for invitations and participants to KWI.
There will also be great international fields in the women's and men's classes of 800m and 1500m.
Karsten Warholm himself plans to run 400 meters during his own event. In the last two years, KWI has been canceled due to the pandemic.
- I am really looking forward to running at home in Ulsteinhallen again. It will be the first event of the winter season for me. There is always a good atmosphere at home, so I am really looking forward to this, says Karsten Warholm.
- KWI always has a high priority for me. It will be a nice and important warm-up for the winter indoor season. I have plans to have some indoor competitions in 2023, I am considering, among other things, the EC in Istanbul in March.
It is not yet clear who he will face in the distance at home. But everything indicates that he will have solid competition.
- There is space for approx. 1,000 spectators in the hall and we are betting on a full house. We have been looking forward to this - finally we can organize KWI with national and international stars in athletics again. KWI has become a great tradition. Now we are back in full force after two pandemic cancellations, says Karsten Warholm's manager and mother, Kristine Haddal. She is project manager for the convention.
In the men's class, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, long and shot put are on the schedule for this year's KWI. The women have the following selection of exercises: 60 m, 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, 1500 m, long jump and high jump.
NRK1 broadcasts live between 20:00 and 21:00 on the evening of the convention on Thursday 2 February.
For any questions, contact manager and project manager Kristine Haddal at kristine@kmanagement.no. See also KWI (kwinvitational.no)