Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen to renew 1,500m rivalry in September
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Josh Kerr of Britain (left) after winning silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics while Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway looks dejected.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Josh Kerr will renew their 1,500m rivalry at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in September after both received special invitations.
- The rivalry includes Olympic and World Championship medals, with Kerr recently breaking the mile world record and winning Commonwealth gold.
- Both athletes have publicly criticised each other and discussed competition choices, adding drama to their upcoming race in a strong field including Cole Hocker and Isaac Nader.
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Tokyo Olympics champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will renew his fierce 1,500m rivalry with Briton Josh Kerr at World Athletics’ inaugural Ultimate Championship in September, after both athletes received exceptional invitations for the meet.
The pair have met multiple times over 1,500m, with Norway’s Ingebrigtsen holding a significant head-to-head advantage over Kerr, though they have not faced each other over the distance since the Zurich Diamond League meeting in 2024.
Scotland’s Kerr took bronze behind his rival in Tokyo but beat him to win gold at the 2023 World Championships. He also took silver behind American Cole Hocker at the Paris Olympics in 2024, while Ingebrigtsen finished fourth.
The pair have traded barbs over the years, with Ingebrigtsen once referring to 28-year-old Kerr as “just the next guy” and boasting he could beat him blindfolded, while Kerr has said the 25-year-old has major weaknesses.
Ingebrigtsen stoked the rivalry earlier in August when he said he was disappointed not to see Kerr at the European Championships and that the sport was being ruined by athletes skipping major competitions.
Kerr broke the mile world record in July at the London Diamond League and followed that up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in front of home fans in Glasgow, before skipping the European Championships to manage his workload.
“I’ve made some choices this season that have created plenty of noise, but I’ve always wanted to prove myself in the biggest races, against the best in the world,” he said in a statement on Aug 24.
The stacked 1,500m field at the Sept 11 to 13 meet in Budapest includes Hocker and Portugal’s world champion Isaac Nader. REUTERS