August 7th 2024.
It was a tense race at the Olympic Games in Paris on Tuesday as Josh Kerr, representing Team GB, fought for a medal in the 1500m final. In the end, he clinched the silver, narrowly missing out on the gold which went to Team USA's Cole Hocker. However, it wasn't just the top two spots that were up for contention, as Norwegian runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen and American Yared Nuguse were also in the mix.
Unfortunately for Ingebrigtsen, he failed to make it onto the podium, finishing in fourth place behind Nuguse. This was a disappointing result for him, especially considering his previous remarks about Kerr. In an interview with Eurosport, Kerr revealed that their rivalry had intensified during a competition in Budapest last year. He felt that Ingebrigtsen had disrespected him after he had won his first world title.
"I want everyone to be at their best and I want to beat everyone at their best," Kerr explained. "That's where it started for me, and I just started being honest with the questions." He went on to say that he may have annoyed some people with his honesty, as running and athletics is seen as a gentleman's sport. However, he stayed true to himself and spoke his mind.
Ingebrigtsen, who had previously stated that he could beat Kerr blindfolded, also had something to say about the Briton after the race. Taking to social media, he wrote, "Well, I guess he did show up after all...!" This was a clear dig at Kerr, who had proved himself on the track. Ingebrigtsen's previous comments had been met with skepticism, and now he had to eat his words.
Back in February, Ingebrigtsen had confidently declared that he could beat Kerr without even seeing the track. "It is not certain that [Kerr] runs any better now than last year at the same time," he had said in an interview with TV2 in Norway. "I would have beaten him in that race, blindfolded..." However, as we saw in Paris, Kerr was the one who came out on top.
After the race, Ingebrigtsen took to social media once again, this time to congratulate his competitors. "Today, Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse and Josh Kerr outsmarted me," he wrote. "They were 'the best guys' when it really mattered." He went on to thank his fellow athletes for putting on a great show and congratulated the medalists. It was a mature response from Ingebrigtsen, showing that he had respect for his competitors despite their rivalry.
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