Ingebrigtsen says Kerr skipping Europeans is 'ruining' the sport
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, fresh from winning the 5,000m gold on Monday at the European Championships in Birmingham, said he was "very" disappointed that Britain's Josh Kerr was not competing and accused athletes who skip major events of "ruining" the sport.
Ingebrigtsen returned from an 11-month absence during which he underwent surgery on his Achilles and, with the 5,000m victory, became the joint-most successful athlete in European Championship history. The Norwegian said the win reignited his rivalry with Kerr after time out of competition.
Last month Josh Kerr set a new mile world record that had stood for 27 years and followed that with Commonwealth gold over the mile on home soil in Glasgow. Kerr had made clear the European Championships were not part of his plans for the season, a decision Ingebrigtsen said he believed "should have been able to include it in his schedule."
On the balance between chasing times and targeting titles Ingebrigtsen said: "Of course I am going to go for times, but I don't think you have to do one or the other." Asked if he was disappointed Kerr is not racing in Birmingham, he added: "Very - and I think a lot of people should be, because that is what championships are all about. "It's not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete - that is the whole point. "So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position."
The rivalry between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen has featured prominent results and heated exchanges. Kerr took Olympic 1500m bronze behind Ingebrigtsen five years ago, stunned his rival at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023, and their contests helped build anticipation for a showdown at the Paris 2024 Olympics; in the end both were beaten to gold at that event by American Cole Hocker.
Their verbal sparring included Ingebrigtsen saying he could beat Kerr blindfolded when fully fit, and Kerr accusing the Norwegian of having "flaws on the track and in the manners realm" and of being surrounded by "yes men." Relations cooled while Ingebrigtsen struggled with injury, but his Birmingham victory served as a statement of return.
Ingebrigtsen described Kerr's record-breaking mile as an "extremely good race" and "a very strong performance" and said of the importance of records versus titles: "I think both are as big, but it is not like we only have one race in our legs. "Everything comes down to what you want to do. People go to work every day. It is not like because you are a professional runner you can't work every day."
He has announced his return to the top by winning a record seventh European Championship gold - his 20th major international track title since 2018.