It is the spiciest rivalry in track and field. And after months of trash talking and bravado, Britain’s Josh Kerr and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen face off for the first time in 2024 in what could be a race for the ages on Saturday.
Kerr has bragging rights having shocked Ingebrigtsen to win the world 1500m title in Budapest last August. However Ingebrigtsen, the reigning Olympic champion, insisted he was sick at the time.
Over a mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, both men will hope to lay down a significant marker ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris. It comes after a winter where Kerr accused his rival of having “flaws on the track and in the manners realm” and being surrounded by “yes men”. Ingebrigtsen claimed he could beat Kerr blindfolded if fit.
Now, though, Kerr insists he is focusing purely on the track. “I’ve had some fun over the winter period and maybe been a bit loose with some of the things I said – and that might be an understatement,” he says. “But I’m here to do a job now and not talk. I’m here to be the best in the world.”
A world record is not entirely out of the question, given that Ingebrigtsen is the third fastest man in history in 3:43.73 – just 0.6 seconds off Hicham El-Guerrouj’s mark from 1999 – while the top American in the field, Yared Neguse stands fourth. Kerr has never run a super-fast mile, but having broken the indoor two-mile world record in February, he will expect to change that.
However if the race turns tactical, do not rule out another Briton, Jake Wightman, who beat Ingebrigtsen in Eugene in 2022 to win the 1500m world title before missing most of 2023 with injury. Last week Wightman ran 1:44.10 for 800m, a time that suggested he was closing in on his best. But the race is so deep, several other men could also spring a surprise.
“What motivates me to get out the door and be at my best is when I’m racing these guys,” says Kerr, who insists this early clash of the titans in an Olympic year is good for the sport.
“Some people are afraid to compete against certain athletes at certain points in the season and I understand that. There are mental kinds of battles that go on but it’s important for people to race – that’s what allows these back and forths to happen.
“It’s no shock that Jakob has had the best of me a lot recently in my career,” he says. “But I’m finally getting to a point where I feel confident in what I’m doing and the consistency that I have, and I’m ready to be the athlete that I’ve always wanted to be.”
Another potential dark horse, the Commonwealth 1500m champion Oliver Hoare, is predicting a burn up. “It’s going to be a big one for a lot of egos. You can’t disrespect the field. If you do, you will get eaten alive.”
Several other Britons are also running in Eugene. They include Dina Asher-Smith and Darryl Neita, who face the world champion Sha’Carri Richardson and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah in the 100m – as well as Keely Hodgkinson and Jemma Reekie, who are up against world champion Mary Moraa in the 800m.
