"Don’t tell everybody how good you are"

Freshly crowned Rising Star of the Year Karsten Warholm made a successful transition from decathlon to the 400m hurdles. The world champion shares his top tips.

Championship tip

It sounds like a cliché, but my coach and I have a really strong focus on enjoying the events and having fun. This is what we did in London [at the IAAF World Championships].

We played with a small drone in the hotel room and tried to land it. I relaxed watching the TV series Hostages. We just tried to stay relaxed, so as not to drain too much energy.

My coach and I actually had a bet that if I won the world championships, I would get to watch the last episode. I won the world title, but the funny thing was that when it came to watching the final episode, I fell asleep.

Psychological tip

I always find a reason when racing that I am the one who deserves to win. The other seven guys in the race will also feel like they deserve it. I often think back to the hours of suffering I have put into training as the reason I deserve to win.

Technical tip

I’ve learned over time to repeat the same skill many, many times. It is only then that you will learn the technique automatically.

Coaching tip

My coach Leif [Olav Alnes] told me that it is easy to say you are the best after becoming world champion, but to continue to improve you need to stay hungry. You need to retain that to continue to improve. So, work hard, stay hungry and don’t tell everybody how good you are.

Top tip for surviving the athletics circuit

I really don’t like the travelling. I just like being at home. To make life easier when travelling I always make sure I have company – which is usually either my coach or other members of the Norwegian team.

Cooking tip

I use the microwave a lot! I cook dishes in the microwave which are supposed to be quite healthy. I think that is my greatest cooking advice.

Fashion tip

The best tip I have is to wear what you feel comfortable in.

Vacation tip

At the end of the season after all that travelling I just like to stay at home. I would recommend coming to Norway because of the beautiful mountains and sea.

Social media tip

The best one I can give as an athlete is not to use it. I say that because when you get followers you feel a need to give something back and I don’t like that feeling. It takes a lot of time and focus from what I really like to do.

Dating tip

The greatest tip is to buy dinner and have a nice conversation to get to know each other. Oh, and don’t use Tinder.