Running News Daily

Confirmed! When serial track rivals Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen will face off

The date when a showdown between 1500m Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and 2023 1500m world champion Josh Kerr has been confirmed.

Serial track rivals Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen have both been confirmed as headliners for the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic, the fourth leg of the Diamond League Meeting series happening in Eugene, USA on May 25.

The duo has been known to attack each other with the two-time World 5000m champion from Norway also attacking the Scot most of the time.

The Norwegian, from time to time has been on record, trash-talking his rivals including Kerr and he once referred to him as the guy next door.

In his recent interview Speaking to the UK Times, Ingebrigtsen noted that he believes his competitors are irrelevant and very inconsistent when it comes to the sport.

“I’m going to say my competitors are irrelevant in the way I see them all the same. One of the main issues is they are very inconsistent and that means my rivals are always changing.

“From 2017 I have had ten to 12 different rivals. It’s easier for them to have a rival in me but not as easy for me to have a rival in them,” Ingebrigtsen said.

After the Scot broke the two-mile indoor world record, the World 1500m silver medallist also made fun of him and noted that he would have beaten him blindfolded.

“I would have beaten him in that race, blindfolded… But it’s good that people run better than they have done before,” Ingebrigtsen said.

The duo now clashes at the Prefontaine Classic and Kerr will be debuting at the event. U.S. indoor and outdoor mile record holder Yared Nuguse will also be in the mix.

In last year’s race, Ingebrigtsen battled to the finish line with Nuguse with the Norwegian star winning in 3:43.73. Nuguse took nearly three full seconds off Alan Webb’s American record with a 3:43.97.