Norwegian distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen isn’t known for holding back, and in a recent interview with The Telegraph, he made several bold statements. From going pro at a very young age and apparently holding the fate of the running world in his hands, to dismissing the entire sport of indoor track, Ingebrigtsen proves time and again that he’s a one-of-a-kind athlete.
He’s been training professionally since age 4
With two elite middle-distance runners for older brothers, Ingebrigtsen was surrounded by high-performance athletics since the age of “four or five.” He revealed that by 12, he was running at least 100-km weeks, doubling up on runs and lifting weights. At 16, he became the youngest competitor ever to break four minutes in the mile, and now, at 24, he’s a two-time Olympic champion, two-time world champion and a four-time Diamond League final winner.
“It’s not a privilege–it’s a duty”
Growing up in a competitive family instilled in Ingebrigtsen not just the desire to excel–but a sense of obligation. “Growing up, getting better and better–it’s not a privilege, but it’s a duty,” he said. “I will never feel motivated or unmotivated, because it is irrelevant.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest runners of all time, Ingebrigtsen’s success has fostered an unshakeable belief that he embodies the full potential of the running world.
“I’ve always felt a responsibility to do it 100 per cent,” he said. “I feel a duty to see how fast I can run to show everybody what is possible in our time. That is the goal–I have a responsibility to see what the human race can do.”
He has never skipped a training session
With a heavy sense of responsibility weighing on him, it isn’t too surprising that Ingebrigsten sticks with his training plans, no matter what. “I have always done everything I planned,” he says. “Of course I can be hesitant if it is freezing cold and raining sideways but, ‘Do I want to do this today?’ That’s not something I ask myself. I am going to do this as well as I can.”
His indoor world records don’t matter
While Ingebrigtsen holds five world records overall–2,000, 3,000m, two mile, and indoor 1,500m and mile–only three of them actually count, in his eyes. He is on a mission to take down all world records from the 1,500m to the marathon. “A good start, but really, it doesn’t matter,” he said when acknowledging his double world record performance in France last month. “Running is not an indoor sport.”
Nobody front-runs, because it’s too difficult–except him
Ingebrigtsen has fallen short of every world or Olympic 1,500m title since 2021, despite holding the world lead in the event each year, after leading most of the race. But, he has no plans to change his front-running tactics. “[Front-running] is definitely one of the most difficult ways,” he said. “That’s why nobody does it. I think that is one of the reasons why it will be so giving when it one day works, because nobody has ever done it before. I think I’m able to do it.”
“I don’t know why [Kerr] is so interested in me”
The rivalry between Ingebrigtsen and 2023 world 1,500m champion Josh Kerr continues to produce thrilling matchups, but the Norwegian suggests Kerr is far more invested in the feud. “I don’t know why [Kerr] is so interested in me, but I guess it’s because I’m the one to beat,” he says. “It’s irrelevant who I’m standing beside; I’m on my own mission.”
