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Jakob Ingebrigtsen vs Josh Kerr Rivalry Timeline: From Budapest To Paris

By Chris Chavez

March 13, 2024

TrackTown USA and Prefontaine Classic meet organizers announced the first three headliners for the Bowerman Mile on May 25th. The race will feature 1500m Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (who won last year’s race in 3:43.73 to claim the Diamond League trophy), 1500m world champion Josh Kerr and U.S. mile record holder Yared Nuguse (who broke Alan Webb’s American record in 3:43.97 behind Ingebrigtsen in last year’s race.)

What you need to know about the race:

– This will be the first time Ingebrigtsen and Kerr clash since the 1500m final at the World Championships in Budapest.

– Kerr and Nuguse have raced against each other twice since Budapest. Nuguse got past the British star to win the Zurich Diamond League last August. Their most recent meeting was the World Indoor Championships 3000m final, where Kerr came away with the gold medal in 7:42.98 and Nuguse earned his first global championship medal with a silver in 7:43.59.

– Kerr, known for being highly selective of his racing schedule, will be making his first-ever appearance at the Pre Classic.

– This will likely be Ingebrigtsen’s season opener as he’s been rehabbing from an Achilles injury that forced him to miss the indoor season. He has said that he intends to compete at the European Championships in Rome, which will be held from June 7-12.

What’s The Beef?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past eight months, you know that Kerr and Ingebrigtsen may respect each other as competitors but haven’t been shy about trading barbs through the media. The talk has intensified, which only makes their first clash of 2024 a more highly anticipated event.

We’ve put together a timeline of their comments with links to read, listen or watch their exchanges.

Aug. 23, 2023

Kerr pulls off the upset and beats Ingebrigtsen in the 2023 World Championship 1500m final. In his mixed zone interview, Ingebrigtsen says he was sick.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t feel 100%,” Ingebrigtsen said. “I felt that after 500m my legs were not feeling as smooth as I would like them to be. Obviously, not the best run of the day.”

Aug. 25, 2023

On “CITIUS MAG Live at Worlds”, Kerr says Ingebrigtsen’s showboating in the semifinal came from a place of insecurity.

“I do think it comes from a place of insecurity,” Kerr said. “I think he panicked a little in the semifinal. He was able to get to the front and then at that point, he knew he was going to make it and everything was fine. The last time he did that was after he was beaten by Wightman in the heats of the 5000m. I’ve done that before where I’ve celebrated heats and semifinal before when I was in my worst shape. I do think it comes from a place of insecurity, where something has happened and he’s frustrated and he’s not the attention that he normally is when he’s won world records and really fast times.

When that happened, it didn’t annoy me because he did it. It made me excited because I knew there was a reason he did it. Something has happened to get to this point where he doesn’t feel like the center of attention or he surprises himself with how good he’s feeling. Something happened in that race. I was like, ‘Yeah, there’s a weakness right there.’”

(Watch from the 28:16 mark)

Aug. 27, 2023

Ingebrigtsen wins the 2023 World Championships 5000m final in 13:11.30 – just .14 ahead of Spain’s Mo Katir. When asked whether he was planning to race Josh Kerr later in the season to seek revenge, Ingebrigtsen said no and called Kerr “just the next guy.”

“If I hadn’t run in the final, he would probably have won,” Ingebrigtsen said. “That’s how I see the race. Obviously, if you stumble or fall then someone is going to win the race and he was just the next guy.”

Aug. 30, 2023

When asked about Ingebrigtsen’s comment, here’s how Kerr responded at the Zurich Diamond League press conference:

“Emotions are high in the media,” Kerr said. “I know he wanted the 1500 title and the 5000m field seemed to not realize he’d run three rounds and kind of wanted to make it slow for some reason. But he can be disrespectful to me, that’s fine. I still have the World Championship gold medal and I’m going to be the world champion for the next two years regardless of his comments. Obviously, I don’t love disrespectful comments and I’ve worked hard to get into this position and I beat him on the day. But if that’s the kind of route he wants to go down, that’s fine with me, I’m kind of unbothered by it.”

Nov. 11, 2023

On an episode of “The Sunday Plodcast”, Kerr was asked about the difference between Ingebrigtsen’s racing and how it compares to when he’s competed at Diamond League races with pacers.

(Watch from the 17:46 mark)

“I do think people will start realizing that a little bit now, but I don’t think he will, because the ego is pretty high on this one,” Kerr said. “He was paced in 2021 for his Olympic gold medal by (Timothy) Cheruiyot…If you really look at it, he doesn’t win a lot of non-paced races. I would love for him to be listening to this…That was a big part of our training as well.

There was a question asked to him earlier on in the season: ‘Are you worried about the world championship not having a pacer and all this stuff?’ And his answer was, ‘When the pacer drops out, I am the pacemaker.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, you have, you have no idea. You’ve won so many races, you’ve run fantastic all season – you must be surrounded by so many yes-men that you don’t realize that you have weaknesses.’ I think that was part of his downfall. If he doesn’t realize that he’s got some real major weaknesses, then he will not win the 1500 meter gold medal next year. I’m okay with that.”

Jan. 12, 2023

Ingebrigtsen shares with Dagsavisen that he will miss the 2024 indoor season due to an Achilles injury. He said: “I know my body and it sometimes happens that it needs a little extra time to heal before I start with hard loads. I've been struggling a bit with an Achilles and have therefore trained a bit alternatively. Now I'm on my way back, but I don't want to take any risks. Therefore, I run my own scheme a little more. I know that works. For me, it's European Championships and Olympic medals that matter”

Jan. 18, 2024

After the podcast clips surfaced in mainstream sports media, The Guardian asked Kerr for further comment on his statements.

“I’ve said it multiple times: he’s very dedicated and he’s amazing at our sport,” Kerr said. “He also wants to be the best in the world and so I do, and that’s going to make us clash 10 times out of 10. I’ll always have respect for his performances. I was merely pointing out that he has flaws, and I don’t think he knew that.”

“Myself and Jake Wightman have shown where those flaws are,” he added. “And I think he has some flaws in the manners realm as well. I’m not saying I’m a better time-trialer than him, because I don’t know if I am. But I think come championship day, I am the best athlete in the world. And no LetsRun article is going to tell me otherwise.”

Feb. 1, 2024

In an article with Stavanger Aftenblad, Ingebrigtsen shared that he was optimistic about his recovery from injury. When asked about his next meeting with Kerr and Wightman, Ingebrigtsen was confident in prevailing.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll win next time anyway,” he said. “I know that I win 98 out of 100 times against them. Hopefully, it will be a long time until next time. But we never know when time number 99 will come.”

Josh KerrJosh Kerr

Kevin Morris / @KevMoFoto

Feb. 11, 2024

Josh Kerr set the two-mile world record at the Millrose Games in 8:00.67 at The Armory in New York City. He broke the previous world record of 8:03:40 set by Mo Farah in Birmingham (UK) in 2015.

Feb. 15, 2024

Ingebrigtsen, who holds the outdoor two-mile world record of 7:54.10 from last June’s Paris Diamond League, told TV2 in Norway that he would’ve beaten Kerr blindfolded.

“It is not certain that he runs any better now than last year at the same time; he did not run two miles then,” Ingebrigtsen said. “I would have beaten him in that race, blindfolded. But it’s good that people run better than they have done before.”

Feb. 24, 2024

Following his run at the NSW Milers race in Sydney, Wightman was asked about Ingebrigtsen by Wide World of Sports.

“I don't like sometimes getting dragged into it with a few disrespectful comments because I feel like I've shown a lot of respect,” Wightman said. “It probably means that we're doing something right if someone feels the need to say that about us. Josh is more likely to bite back, whereas I'd rather just let my running do the talking. I know myself and even Jakob, with the problems he's had, you need to probably be a little bit quieter and just get back to where you need to be before you can start banging your chest too much.”

Feb. 29, 2024

Kerr changed his mind about racing at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow and was named to the British Athletics squad in the 3000m. At the pre-race press conference, a Norwegian reporter asked Kerr for his thoughts on Ingebrigtsen’s blindfold comment and his absence from the championships.

60m world champion and world record holder Grant Holloway was also on-stage and warned Kerr to choose his words carefully. Ultimately, Kerr smiled and proclaimed: “No comment.”

(Watch from the 3:00 mark)

On that same day, a feature from The Times (UK) quoted Kerr on Ingebrigtsen saying: “He’s a big character and a big name in our sport. He draws a lot of eyeballs. There’s no ill will towards him. I’m just a competitive guy and that sometimes comes out in different ways.””

Mar. 2, 2024

Kerr wins the World Indoor Championships 3000m title in Glasgow. After the race, he was asked whether Ingebrigtsen saw it and how Kerr thought he’d react to it. Kerr said, “I’m not sure if he watches BBC2. I’m putting these performances together for myself and not anyone else. I’m really just becoming the athlete I’ve wanted to be. It’s taken a long process to get here through the UK system, through the NCAA and through the professional scene since I stepped on it in 2017 and failed in front of a British crowd. A good eight or nine years later, I’m able to put on a performance like that. It’s been a long process.”

(Watch from the 3:47 mark)

March 8, 2024

Ingebrigtsen shared that he is back to doing double training sessions in his comeback from injury. The Times (UK) visited Ingebrigtsen in Norway for a wide-ranging feature, which included more of Ingebrigtsen’s opinion of his competitors.

“I’m going to say my competitors are irrelevant in the way I see them [as] all the same,” he said. “One of the main issues is they are very inconsistent and that means my rivals are always changing. From 2017 I have had ten to 12 different rivals. It’s easier for them to have a rival in me but not as easy for me to have a rival in them.”

“The biggest issue is giving people like Kerr attention,” he added. “That’s what he is seeking. He is missing something in himself that he is searching for in others. I’m not the sort of guy to approve those sorts of things.”

March 12, 2024

Kerr said this is one of the best eras of the men’s 1500m in a feature with World Athletics.

“What’s great is there is a rivalry,” Kerr said. “There’s a rivalry between myself, Jake, Ingebrigtsen, Yared (Nuguse), everybody. They’re all trying to go after that title. I’m going to work my way through the season and hopefully see those guys later in the year. You never want to be involved in an era where it’s boring in the 1500m, where you know someone is going to win it.”

VG in Norway reported that Ingebrigtsen and his brothers, Henrik and Filip, will be followed by a documentary crew for an upcoming series that will be distributed on Amazon Prime. Filming is already underway.

May 2, 2024

Ingebrigtsen appeared on European Athletics' 'Ignite' Podcast and discusses the 2023 World Championship 1500m final and the upcoming Olympics.

On the 2023 World Championship Final:

"It’s a tricky one. You can definitely say something wrong. I think it’s better to not say much because obviously, I have a lot of opinions about that matter. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it’s a competition where everybody tries their best to win but sometimes everything doesn’t go as planned for everyone. At the end of the day, I think everyone knows what happened and the reasons why things happened the way they did – even though some people don’t want to admit it. It's still the way it goes. Sometimes it’s out of our way to do it any different. I would definitely want it to be different but that’s just the way it is.”

On rivalries:

"I think some people are just assholes and being idiots. At the end of the day, for me, it’s all about myself and the sport of running and trying to be as good as I can be. I think I am friends with people who share the same thoughts and chase the same goals as me. There are some people that don’t do that.”

On the Paris Olympics:

"I've won it before so I don't know what's all the fuss about. (Laughs) It's quite exciting. Obviously, the Olympic Games in Tokyo was very different to the upcoming Games in Paris with no spectators, a lot of testing and rules with COVID. But at the same time, it was a unique possibility for us as athletes to really focus on the competition itself and the things that mattered. There was never that much outside of going to the track to train and prepare and also to go into the competition to compete because we weren't allowed to do anything else. If I don’t get injured and I don’t get sick, I think it’s going to be a walk in the park.”

May 24, 2024

Ingebrigtsen and Kerr took the stage for the Prefontaine Classic's Bowerman Mile press conference. When asked about their relationship and how it's changed since the World Championships in Budapest, Kerr said, "I wouldn't say this is a counseling session so I don't know if I can explain our relationship...But we are fierce competitors who both want to be the best in the world and that's not going to change regardless of comments."

"I'm here trying to be the best in the world," he added. "I showed I could do that last year and I want to continue that pursuit. If that annoys people or ruffles up competitors I am sure it will because the whole world is trying to do what I am doing...So yeah, I don't really care how this race affects anyone else. It's going to affect my season and my career and that's the selfish way that I look at my racing because it's an individual sport."

May 25, 2024

Kerr beats Ingebrigtsen in the Bowerman Mile 3:45.34 to 3:45.60. Kerr broke Steve Cram's British record of 3:46.32, which was set in 1985.

After the race, Kerr told reporters that he followed his instincts to take the lead with 600 meters left in the race and closed the final lap in 53.2 seconds to win.

"I was just excited to go out and race against a world-class field and show that I’m still the best 1,500-meter runner in the world," Kerr said.

Ingebrigtsen told reporters that he was encouraged by the result but still had more to give.

“Of course we’re racing, but it’s definitely some differences in terms of approach into this race," Ingebrigtsen said. "For some people this is their final test, even before the Olympics in Paris. But this is not my final test. So it’s definitely a big difference the way that we all see this race. But it was a good fight.”

He broke down the Bowerman Mile with CITIUS MAG in the mixed zone.

June 7-12, 2024

Ingebrigtsen wins gold medals in the 1500m and 5000m at the European Championships in Rome.

July 12th, 2024

Ingebrigtsen made a statement victory at 3:26.73, winning the Monaco Diamond League in almost two full seconds. He broke his own European record and joined Hicham El-Guerrouj (3:26.00), Bernard Lagat (3:26.34) and Asbel Kiprop in the sub-3:27 club.

Aug. 4th, 2024

Kerr and Ingebrigtsen advanced through the 1500m heats with ease and end up seeded in the same semifinal section. Neither guy showed his cards entirely and moved through to the semifinal with Ingebrigtsen taking the semifinal 3:32.38 to Kerr's 3:32.46.

After the race, he told NRK: "Only goal was to get to the final. The job is done without spending too much energy. The final in global championship is hard, but I will do my best."

Aug. 6, 2024

USA's Cole Hocker shocks Kerr and Ingebrigtsen to win the 1500m Olympic gold medal in an Olympic record of 3:27.65. Kerr, who passed Ingebrigtsen in the final 100m but was overtaken by Hocker on the inside finished second for silver in a personal best of 3:27.79. USA's Yared Nuguse earned the bronze medal in 3:27.80.

Ingebrigtsen finished fourth in 3:28.24. In his post-race interview with NRK, Ingebrigtsen said that he started a little too hard, got too aggressive and said he ruined the race for himself. It marked the first time he has missed the medals in the 1500m at a global championship since 2019.

“Of course, it’s a tactical error that I’m not able to reduce my pace the first 800. It’s just a little too hard," he told reporters in the mixed zone."I think I saw on the back straight with probably 650 to go that they were opening a little bit of a gap, so I tried to respond by going just a little bit too much on the gas. Just 100 meters too much today.”

On Instagram, Ingebrigtsen wrote:

"Well, I guess he did show up after all…! Hocker and Nuguse as well.

My team always say that “because you have a big mouth and is the one to beat, you have everything to lose in competitions”. Today, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse and Josh Kerr outsmarted me. They were “the best guys” when it really mattered. And I want to congratulate them all on a great performance!

Of course, I am disappointed!

Running is the ultimate sport. Everyone can participate. Everyone can set their own goals and achieve them. All you need is to show up. Not long ago, I trained alongside kids and average runners at Sandnes stadium. Today, I competed alongside one of my countrymen in an Olympic 1500 final. Ten years ago, no one in Norway would have believed this was possible. Until Henrik and Filip showed us all that it is.

I sincerely want to express my gratitude and love to them and the rest of the team, and to my partners and the Norwegian athletics association and all my followers for the support this year. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me!

Thank you also to all my competitors for putting on a great show today. Congratulations to the guys bringing home the medals!

Luckily for me, I get to do it all again tomorrow morning."

Aug. 10th, 2024

Ingebrigtsen wins the Olympic 5000m title in 13:13.66.

Aug. 15th, 2024

Zurich Diamond League organizers announced all three 1500m Olympic medalists and Ingebrigtsen would race on Sept. 5th.

Aug. 22nd, 2024

Ingebrigtsen takes down Hocker in the Lausanne Diamond League 1500m in a meet record 3:27.83. After the race, he told Hocker, "I appreciate you coming out."

He elaborated in his interview with NRK saying, "Today, it's a lot about seeing where the form is. We haven't had time to do much since we ran in Paris, but it's cool that so many people are showing up - and not just going and hiding after big championships."

Aug. 25th, 2024

At the Silesia Diamond League, Ingebrigtsen smashes the 3000m world record in 7:17.55. The previous record of 7:20.67 was set by Daniel Komen and had stood since 1996. It marked the third world record of his career after his world indoor record for 1500m and 2000m outdoor world record. He also owns the outdoor two-mile world record, which is recognized as a "world best" by World Athletics.

“Three down, seven to go! What’s next?” he posted on Instagram.

Sept. 4th, 2024

Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse signed on as Racers for Grand Slam Track's inaugural season in 2025. All three Olympic 1500m medalists will race four times over 800m and 1500m at three Slams. One Racer spot for the 800m/1500m category in Michael Johnson's professional track league remains. Ingebrigtsen has not signed on with the league. He could opt to not sign with the league and compete as a Challenger to fit his schedule or he could sign on to join in the 800m/1500m or 3000m/5000m category.

At the Zurich Diamond League press conference, Ingebrigtsen discloses that he is not feeling at his best but still plans to race.

"Everybody told me that I was not supposed to be here or that I shouldn't be here but I've been looking forward to all of my races after Paris. Lausanne and Silesia are equally as important for me as any race," he said. "Of course, I want to do as good as I can to show up and hopefully get a good race but sometimes the preparation is not always perfect. So it's been a little on and off in trying to do the best that I could (with) rest. I know that I was good in Silesia and felt pretty good a couple days after. Still, it's a setback. What it means? I don't know but I'm here and I'm going to spend the next hours wisely and hopefully be as good as I can tomorrow."

A reporter asked Kerr and Ingebrigtsen to share what they thought the other athlete's best quality was...

Kerr on Ingebrigtsen: “His dress sense.”

Ingebrigtsen on Kerr: “Being able to make your best race when it really matters is important.”

Sept. 5th, 2024

Nuguse overtakes Ingebrigtsen in the home stretch to hand Ingebrigtsen his first Diamond League loss over 1500m since September 2021. This marked Nuguse's second victory in Zurich. Hocker took third in 3:30.46. Kerr was fifth in 3:31.46.

Sept. 8th, 2024

Kerr closes out his season with a 3:44 victory at the NYRR Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City.

Sept. 13th, 2024

Ingebrigtsen defends his Diamond League title with a 3:30.37 victory at the Brussels Diamond League.

Sept. 27th, 2024

Episode 4 of Ingebrigtsen: Born To Run on Amazon Prime Video shows behind-the-scenes with Ingebrigsten before his season opener in Eugene. The Norwegian star does not hold back to the documentary series cameras.

"What's funny is that he's never said anything to me," Ingebrigtsen says. "So if you smile and say hello politely and then you go on your friend's podcast to talk trash...That's really cowardly."

"I don't consider Josh Kerr to be a rival," he adds. "He's a very good runner who had a really good race when many others had a really bad race. Those are just the facts. The problem with the rivalry is that it's not created by the media. It's only created by that moron because he began trash-talking me. But he's forgotten that. He doesn't stand for anything he says. That says a lot about someone. But there's not much you can do about it, other than beating them."

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Chris Chavez

Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and is an aspiring sub-five-minute miler.