Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Ingebrigtsen at the Guldensporenmeeting in Kortrijk, Belgium in 2017.

On 27 May, still 16 years old, Ingebrigtsen became the youngest athlete in history to run the one-mile distance in less than 4 minutes, when he finished in 11th place in a Diamond League race at the Hayward Field in Eugene, US.[4] On 15 June, he ran almost two seconds faster, when he won the race with a time of 3:56.29 at the Bislett Games in Oslo, Norway.[5]

On 8 July, in his first attempt at the distance, he beat the European Under-20 record in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the Guldensporenmeeting in Kortrijk, Belgium with a time of 8:26.81.[6]

On 26 May, at age 17, Ingebrigtsen ran a 3:52.28 mile in the Prefontaine Classic's Bowerman Mile for fourth place. It is the fastest mile run by a 17-year-old.[7]

On 5 July 2019, Ingebrigtsen set a new personal best and a U20 European Record in the 1500 m when he ran 3:30.16 at the Lausanne Diamond League for second position.

On 20 July at the London Diamond League, he set a new national record and U20 European Record at the 5000 m with 13:02.03, finishing second.

As of 6 October 2019 Jakob was ranked as the second best 1500 m runner in the world, only behind Timothy Cheruiyot.

Making his debut at the distance, he broke Sondre Nordstad Moen’s Norwegian 10 km record at the Hytteplanmila in Hole, Norway on 19 October, with victory in 27:54. Not only was Jakob's time a national record, it was also the fastest time by a European in 2019 as well as being a European U20 10 km best.[8]

On 14 August at the Monaco Diamond League, Ingebrigtsen went for the first time under 3:30 barrier in the 1500 m and broke Mo Farah's 7-year-old European record (3:28.81) with a time of 3:28.68.[9]

On 10 June 2021 at the Diamond League in Florence, Italy, he set a new European record in the 5000 m with his time of 12:48.45, in a race where a half-dozen competitors bested a time of 12:55.[10][11]

At the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Ingebrigtsen set an Olympic and European record at 3 minutes 28.32 seconds to secure gold in the 1500-meter final, after eclipsing the previous record of 3:31:65 held by the Kenyan Abel Kipsang.[12] He became the second youngest winner in the event.[13] On the final bend Ingebrigtsen overtook for the first time Timothy Cheruiyot, who won the silver medal.[14][15]Prior to the event, Ingebrigtsen had lost twelve straight 1500m / mile races to his Kenyan rival.

At the season-ending Diamond League finale at the Zurich Weltklasse meet, Ingebrigtsen placed second to Cheruiyot, who edged him out over the final sprint.

On 17 February 2022, Ingebrigtsen set his first senior world record, clocking 3:30.60 for the indoor 1500 m at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Liévin. He broke Samuel Tefera’s 3-year-old record by 0.44 seconds.[16]

Ingebrigtsen's (R) triumphal finish in the 5000 m final at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

About a month later at the 2022 World Indoor Championships held in Belgrade, Ingebrigtsen was beaten in the event by Tefera (3:32.77, CR), however, and placed second in a time of 3:33.02.[17] He tested positive for COVID-19 the following day.[3]

He won the silver medal in the 1500m after being outsprinted by Jake Wightman of Great Britain in the World Championships. In the same championships, he won the gold medal at the 5000 metres event at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon in a time of 13:09:24. Ingebrigtsen became the first male runner not born in Africa to win an Olympic or World Championships gold at the 5000 m in 30 years, going back to Dieter Baumann in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.[3]

At the season-ending Zürich Diamond League final, he defeated Timothy Cheruiyot in the 1500 m to take his first Diamond Trophy. The victory brought his lifetime head-to-head with Cheruiyot to 7–13.[18]

In March at the European Indoor Championships held in Istanbul, Ingebrigtsen secured the 1500 m/3000 m 'double-double', winning both events for the second time. He set a championship record of 3:33.95 at the shorter distance and broke the Norwegian record at the longer event with a time of 7:40.32.[19][20]

At the Diamond League Paris meet on 9 June 2023, Ingebrigtsen set the 2-mile world record by running 7:54.10. This improved Daniel Komen's previous world record of 7:58.61 set in 1997 by 4.51 seconds.[21]

Ingebrigtsen finished second in the 1500m final at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, while he repeated as the gold-medal winner in the 5000m.[22] Less than two weeks later, Ingebrigtsen set a world record in the 2000m at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels.[23][24] His record of 4:43.13 eclipsed the previous record of 4:44.79 that was set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999.

The Norwegian ended his season with victories in the mile and 3000m at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, which also served as the Diamond League final. He edged Yared Nuguse for the win in the mile, winning in 3:43.73 and narrowly missing the world record.[25] His time was the third-fastest ever run and a European record. In the 3000m, Ingebrigtsen defeated Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia in a sprint finish.[26] His time of 7:23.63 was the third fastest ever run at the distance.

• Diamond League Champion (3): 2022: 1500m, 2023: Mile, 3000m
  • 2020 (1): Brussels Memorial Van Damme (1500m)
  • 2021 (4): Gateshead British Grand Prix (1500m), Florence Golden Gala (5000m, WL AR), Eugene Prefontaine Classic (One mile), Lausanne Athletissima (3000m)
  • 2022 (4): Eugene (One mile, WL), Oslo Bislett Games (One mile, WL DLR NR), Lausanne (1500m, WL), Zürich Weltklasse (1500m, WL)
  • 2023 (6): Rabat Meeting International, Oslo (AR, MR, WL), Lausanne (MR), Chorzów Kamila Skolimowska Memorial (AR MR WL), Brussels (2000m, WR), Eugene (Mile: AR DLR MR WL & 3000m: AR DLR MR WL)