Jakob Ingebrigtsen passed the 400m mark, the Norwegian middle distance phenomenon checked the clock: 54.9 seconds. Uh oh, the defending champion was on pace for the world record, Hicham El Guerrouj’s 26-year mark and a journey into the unknown.
With no pacer or wave lights last night to serve as a rabbit, Ingebrigtsen had accepted a gruelling race from the gun, one which bitter rival Josh Kerr had promised would be “vicious”. It’s an Olympic 1500m final after all, a much purer form of racing, where plenty of emotional energy is burnt in an event decided by minute adjustments. Speed up, slow down, half a step inside, half a step outside.
This event is a beautiful blend of physicality and tactics. Kerr , the world champion and Ingebrigtsen’s bitter rival , would not go away, though, drafting in behind and conserving energy. But this was no time to panic.
The race quickly arrived at 800m. One minute, 51.5 seconds.
Oh, no. Still only 1.5 seconds off the world record.
Ingebrigtsen knew this was a “dangerous” place to be. But it was too late. He was there to be shot at and vulnerable after the two previous major championship finals.
Despite going out at world record pace, Ingebrigtsen failed to build a gap to his rivals, as Kerr, Cole Hocker and others tucked in for the ride. Jake Wightman and Kerr revealed the blueprint in consecutive World Championships and now Ingebrigtsen was poised to make the same mistake for a third time. “I opened with a 54-second lap.
That .