Jakob Ingebrigtsen takes a dig at Josh Kerr and other 1500m rivals for skipping World Indoor Championships

Jakob Ingebrigtsen recently took a dig at Josh Kerr and his other 1500m rivals for not showing up at the World Indoor Championships this year. Ingebrigtsen won his 1500m heat in 3:39.80 on Friday, March 21st.

Ingebrigtsen began his pursuit of a 1500m and 3000m double at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Friday. The Norwegian runner eased through the 1500m run at the event and is scheduled to compete in the 3000m on Saturday.

The Norwegian was the only medalist from the 2024 Paris Olympics at the event, and when asked whether he was disappointed his rivals didn't show up in Nanjing, he sarcastically replied:

"Aren't we all."

Ingebrigtsen, during the 1500m heats on Friday, started from the back of the pack and surged to an easy win in his opening round. The Olympic champion surged ahead to the lead in the final lap of the track and was never challenged, clocking a time of 3:39.80.

"I am glad to get to the final,” he said. “So, (I'm) trying to stay out of trouble and reduce the risk of falling.. so I’m very happy with the result and looking forward to tomorrow (3000m final) too to fight for the medals in a different event, but I think it’s going to be fun."

“Until this morning or this evening, I was always preparing for as much as possible. It's always a decision that's being made all the time, on the final days, before I go out on the track. So it's definitely a priority for us to travel so far and to do all of this, but it’s definitely worth it when its a world championship,” he replied on being asked when he decided to participate in the event.

Earlier this month, Ingebrigtsen clinched the 1500m title in the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships. The Norwegian Middle-distance maestro secured his sixth title on March 7 in Apeldoorn.

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"There was never any doubt in my mind": Jakob Ingebrigtsen after winning the 2025 European Indoor Championships

Jakob Ingebrigtsen during European Athletics Indoor Championships - Source: Getty

Jakob Ingebrigtsen dominated the men's 1500m final at the 2025 European Athletics Indoor Championships. He clocked 3:36.56 for his sixth title at the event and mentioned that he never doubted himself once.

"There was never any doubt in my mind, but there is always a game of chance. In the back of my head, I know that I have a race tomorrow as well (3000m heats). Now I have to do the good things and prepare for that," Jakob Ingebrigtsen said.

Ingebrigtsen won the 3000m title as well, clocking 7:48.37 in the finals after running 7:55.32 in the heats.

The 24-year-old is the overwhelming favorite to win both 1500m and 3000m titles at the World Indoor Championships. He hasn't won a World Indoor title so far in his career with a lone silver medal from the 2022 edition.