Jakob Ingebrstein vs Josh Kerr: Everything to know about the fierce rivalry as the two face off in a high-octane clash at Prefontaine Classic 2024

Jakob Ingebrstein and Josh Kerr have been two of the most high-performing athletes when it comes to middle and long-distance running. However, the relationship between the two Olympians has been a bit sweet and sour.

The competition between Ingebrstein and Kerr has always been high and its roots can be traced back to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when the Norwegian runner clinched the gold medal in the 1500m event ahead of Kerr who had to settle for bronze.

Kerr bounced back from this defeat and got the better of Ingebrstein (in the men's 1500m event) on the global stage three years later at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. This is where the rivalry took a sour turn between the duo.

It was after the final of the 5000m event (in which Ingebrstein won gold) that the 23-year-old was asked whether he would like to race Kerr going forward in the season to take revenge for the defeat Kerr handed him in the 1500m event a few days ago.

To this, the Norwegian referred to his fall during the race and stated in the post-match interview:

"If I hadn’t run in the final, he would probably have won. That’s how I see the race. Obviously, if you stumble or fall then someone is going to win the race and he was just the next guy."

In reply, Kerr didn't say much to the media as he just boasted about his World Championship gold medal. In the Zurich Diamond League press conference, Kerr stated:

"But he can be disrespectful to me, that’s fine. I still have the World Championship gold medal and I’m going to be the world champion for the next two years regardless of his comments."

It was just the beginning of a series of trash talks that would revolve around both the athletes in the coming months.

Jakob Ingebrstein vs Josh Kerr: The rivalry set to culminate at Prefontaine Classic 2024

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Photo: Kerr Instagram; Ingebrigtsen Instagram)

With a heated rivalry and a flurry of trash talks at their back, the rivalry between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrstein is all set to culminate at the 2024 edition of the Prefontaine Classic.

Both Kerr and Ingebrstein are included in the entry list for the prestigious Bowerman Mile race of the Classic, which will take place on May 25, Saturday at Hayward Field in the University of Oregon.

Ingebrstein will have an added advantage going into the race as the defending champion of the event. He also holds the course record in the event (3:43.73). However, Kerr, too, will be high on confidence in his first-ever Prefontaine Classic, especially after his prowess at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.

This will be the third meetup between Kerr and Ingebrstein after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 World Championships in Budapest. With scores fairly equal between the two seasoned campaigners till now (Ingebrstein beat Kerr at the Olympics while Josh Kerr defeated the Norwegian at the World Championships), both of them will look to get the lead upon the other in this heated rivalry.