"He hasn't won in the last couple of years"- Josh Kerr weighs in on arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen not signing for Michael Johnson's Grand Slam Track

Josh Kerr expressed his thoughts as arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen did not sign up for Michael Johnson's Grand Slam League, scheduled to kick off later this year. The British athlete revealed that Ingebrigtsen had decided to skip the event as he had not won a non-paced race in recent years.

Kerr won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics after a dominant performance in the 1500m finals before being ousted by Cole Hocker in the final moments of the race. He concluded 2024 as one of his most successful seasons which included creating multiple records alongside a World Indoor and Olympic medal.

As he geared up to compete in the 2025 track season at the Millrose Games in the Wanamaker Mile in New York on February 8, he spoke about several topics in an interview with Citius Mag.

About his biggest competitor Jakob Ingebrigtsen opting out of Michael Johnson's Grand Slam League, an event in which some of the best athletes in the world are competing, he said:

"I think that it is smart that he hasn't signed up. In any non-paced race, he hasn't won in the last couple of years. So, you're gonna throw him in a bunch of non-paced races, it seems silly to do that, it's going to expose most of his tattoos. I just don't think so. I think he will come in and run the 3k and 5k, would I go to 3k and 5k, let's see."

"I will probably go off at some point, maybe not this year. I have been given this option. It depends on who comes in and challenges me because I don't want anyone to win my event, so I'll stick to that. Yeah, I'd love for him to come and run the 800m nad 1500m," he added.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen on his rivalry with Josh Kerr

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen compete in the 1500m at the World Athletics Championships. Budapest 2023. - Source: Getty

Jakob Ingebrigtsen spoke about his rivalry with Josh Kerr in his Amazon documentary series, "Ingebrigtsen: Born to Run". The Norwegian athlete expressed that the rivalry wasn't created by the media but by Kerr himself due to which they would go to and fro in interviews.

"What's funny is that he's (Josh Kerr) never said anything to me. So, if you smile and say hello politely and then you go to your friend's podcast and trash-talk that's really cowardly. 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," he said.

The two went head-to-head multiple times in the 2024 season but Josh Kerr emerged victorious every single time. One of their best races of the season against each other was at the Prefontaine Classic where they competed in the Bowerman mile, with Kerr clinching the gold medal in a close victory.