Yesterday's men's 1500m final provided us with one of the most memorable incidents of the Olympics so far, with America's Cole Hocker winning an unexpected gold after a dramatic race in Paris.
In the buildup to that event, many saw the final as a direct face off between two of the biggest names in athletics, with Jakob Ingebrigsten and Josh Kerr likely to battle it out for the gold medal. That pair had dominated this event in recent years, meaning a fierce rivalry had developed between the two both on and off the track.
However, after a mad finish to the race, it was Hocker who emerged victorious. Kerr would claim silver, while Ingebrigsten would finish outside the medals on the back of his questionable to decision to attempt to lead from the front right from the start of the event.
Cole Hocker is the 1500m champion surprising favourites Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen#RTESport #Paris2024
📺 Watch https://t.co/b2OI4OpuLh
📱Updates https://t.co/c67AsBzYgq pic.twitter.com/UEYtYL9GUl— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 6, 2024
While neither man would win the gold in this Olympics, this race will likely only add to the rivalry between Ingebrigsten and Kerr.
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British Olympic Star Had Frank Answer On Frosty Relationship With Norwegian
Jakob Ingebrigsten has been one of the poster boys of athletics for a number of years, bursting onto the scene as a teenager and going on to claim gold medals at Olympic, world, and European level. However, he has not been quite as dominant in recent times, something that opened the door for Josh Kerr to win gold at the World Championships in 2023.
That result would see the Norwegian star claim that he was not fully fit for the race in Budapest, something that has added to the friction between the pair in recent times.
Speaking on Eurosport this morning, Kerry would sum up why his relationship with Ingebrigsten has become so toxic over the last couple of years.
Josh Kerr spills the tea on his rivalry with Jakob Ingebrigtsen ☕👀#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/3Bq6C5JBn5
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 7, 2024
There is (real beef) actually. I don't know how deep we can get into this.
You know, I think he said some nice things yesterday, but over the years there has obviously been a bit of back and forth.
I felt a little bit disrespected last year after my first ever world title. There's something about someone saying they're not at 100 per cent when you go out and get your first world title that makes it sting a little bit.
You're like 'I want everyone to be at their best and I want to try and beat everyone at their best'. That's kind of where it started for me so I just started being honest with the questions I was asked. Instead of giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, I was just kind of being myself without much filter.
I think that annoyed some people and turned some heads. Running and athletics is very much a gentleman's sport so there's not a lot of that, but it is what it is.
With both Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigsten still in their mid 20s, it is likely that the pair will continue to go head to head on the biggest stage for a number of years to come.
The result in this year's Olympic final is only likely to add fuel to the fire of their rivalry moving forward.
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