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The great Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen rivalry will continue at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, one month after Cole Hocker burst beyond the pair to claim Olympic gold in the 1500m at Paris 2024.
Kerr hasn’t competed since that dramatic night in which he and Ingebrigtsen were expected to compete for victory before Hocker turned on the afterburners down the final stretch to claim victory.
Kerr finished second, Ingebrigtsen missed out on a medal in fourth, and Yared Nuguse took bronze. All four now have the opportunity to stamp their authority in Switzerland.
As ever when Kerr and Ingebrigtsen are involved, the build-up has captured the imagination with plenty of thinly-veiled digs between the pair.
Kerr, who has jawed with his Norweigian rival both on and off the track, was in fine form during the pre-race press conference. When asked what Ingebrigtsen’s best quality is, he sarcastically responded, “I would say his dress sense”.
Ingebrigtsen complimented the Scot for being able to run “his best race when it really matters,” before praising Hocker for his continued commitment to the circuit after winning the ultimate prize with a comment that may have been intended to sting Kerr, who dropped out of the 2023 season after claiming the world title.
“It would have been easy for him to just say: ‘OK, I got what I wanted and I’m out.’ But he’s here, so I think it says a lot about him as a person and as an athlete,” said Ingebrigtsen. “He is here for the long run. He doesn’t just want to pack his bag and go home.”
Ingebrigtsen has worked extremely hard in the weeks after he failed to medal in the showpiece 1500m event, beating Hocker across the same distance in Lausanne after winning the 5000m in Paris. He also broke a long-standing 3000m record in a vastly different schedule to Kerr, who has prioritised training and recovery since last month’s showdown.
“I took a month off after the Olympics just to make sure I’m ready to go for this one,” said Kerr. “It’s hard. Being on the road is difficult, living out of a suitcase for months on end is difficult, so it was nice for me to go home.”
The rivalry between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen continues to generate interest for the sport. In 2022, Ingebrigtsen insulted British runner Jake Wightman, a close friend of Kerr, saying he is a “lesser athlete,” per ITV Sport. Kerr later said Ingebrigtsen is a “victim of his own ego,” before Ingebrigtsen said he could beat the 26-year-old while wearing a blindfold.
Kerr’s victory over Ingebrigtsen at the World Championships in 2023 fuelled the rivalry going into the Olympics. While he did beat him again, Hocker perhaps took advantage of the two trying to outdo each other with a well-calculated and thrilling run at the Stade de France. He pounced close to the finish line, biding his time and adding to a dominant USA display on track.
Ingebrigtsen remains the number one target after his improvement in form, putting him exactly where Kerr will want in a bid to take down his greatest threat once more.
