"It’s all about taking what’s yours”- Jakob Ingebrigtsen issues a strong message after first win of the Olympic season

Jakob Ingebrigtsen won his first race of the Olympic season at the Oslo Diamond League in the 1500m on Thursday (May 30). The Norwegian athlete clocked a world-leading time of 3:29.74 on home soil with the Olympic Games in foresight and spoke about leading the race at such a high pace.

Ingebrigtsen lost to arch-rival Josh Kerr in his season debut at the Prefontaine Classic in the famous 'Bowerman Mile' last week. Kerr, who is currently in peak form, took the lead with 600m to the finish and took home the gold medal in a dominant victory over second-placed Ingebrigtsen. In the post-race interview, Ingebrigtsen showed confidence in putting forward an amazing performance in his next race.

A week later, the reigning Olympic champion won the gold medal in the 1500m in a photo-finish after leading the major phases of the race. In the post-race interview, he opened up about his performance and issued a strong message ahead of the Olympic season.

"Especially for a race like this, there is a lot of nerves. There are a lot of things that could go wrong. So, it is all about you know, taking control. I think that is one of the main things before the race and also in the race. The person that wants it the most and controls the race is usually the guy that wins. It’s all about taking what’s yours and I am going to grab every opportunity that I get," he said (via CITIUS MAG).

Moreover, he stressed on leading the race, subtly indicating his previous race where Kerr led the pack and he followed him till the final moments, opting to gain momentum with a strong finish.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen weighs in on his Paris Olympics participation

Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Jakob Ingebrigtsen primarily runs the 1500m. However, the Norwegian has participated in several long-distance races as well. Since the 2019 World Athletics Championships, he has been participating in both the 1500m and the 5000m. Moreover, he won the gold medal in the 5000m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

There have been several discussions among fans about his appearance in both the events at the upcoming Olympics. He opened up about his participation in the Paris Olympics after his season debut.

“I think I’m going to win both in Paris. But if that is to happen, I really need to have a flawless next two months. Which I believe that I’m able to do,” he said (via Runner's World magazine).

To fulfill his wish to win two medals, Jakob Ingebrigtsen would first have to qualify for the quadrennial games by surpassing the qualifying time at the National Olympic trials scheduled later this year.