EUGENE, Ore. – With about 700 meters left in the Bowerman Mile, British star middle-distance runner Josh Kerr flipped the script in one of the most exciting competitions on the track. Because he had to send a message. Because Kerr has heard enough from Norwegian superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen to declare that there is no one equal to him. Because Beef offers more than its competitors.
So Kerr moved early.
“I think I was scared because the coaching staff had specifically told me not to do that,” Kerr said later. “And I said, ‘I’ll go when I feel the time is right.’ … I don’t really listen to other people about racial strategy. “I will go with my instincts,” he said.
As the second turn began, Kerr took the lead. He surged past Britain’s Jake Wightman. Who is America’s Jared from the past? Past Ingebrigtsen. Passed by Abel Kipsang of Kenya. Running the final 600 meters of the marquee event and final race of the Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on Saturday, Kerr had his fiercest enemy behind him. A silent rebuttal. He showed off his confidence and discipline. He dared the world number one to come out and get him.
Ingebrigtsen could not. Not today.
Kerr’s time of 3:45.34 set a world record for the mile and a new British record. But what was most interesting was the novelty it added to the rivalry. Kerr’s move on Saturday shook up the board in the developing chess match between the world’s best middle-distance runners, adding more tension to what’s possible when they duel for medals in Paris this August.
Great run by Josh Kerr!
This is a new British record for a men’s mile race.#BBCASports #EugeneDL pic.twitter.com/lDnHddRWE
Great run by Josh Kerr!
This is a new British record for a men’s mile race.#BBCASports #EugeneDL pic.twitter.com/lDnHddRWE
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 25, 2024
This was Ingebrigtsen’s second consecutive loss to fellow elites. So you know his A game is coming. The Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500-meter relay will react like a champion.
He ran the mile Saturday in 3:45.60, his first action since an Achilles injury forced him to skip the indoor season.
“I tried to fight him,” said Ingebrigtsen, who last finished the 3,000m race at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic last September. “But for me today was all about the time trial. Of course, we are racing, but there are definitely some differences in terms of how we approach this race. For some, this is the final test ahead of the Paris Olympics. But this is not my last test. So there’s obviously a big difference in how we all view this race. But it’s a good fight.”
There was so much talent in this race that it was called the “Mile of the Century.” Amazon is following Ingebrigtsen with a camera, documenting the Norwegian star’s foray into Paris. This was the most hyped matchup of the year. The attention of global sports was focused on them. And it was Kerr’s Prefontaine debut.
He made it clear on Friday that he came to the University of Oregon looking for a Norwegian act.
“I’m not here to relax,” Kerr said. The person sitting to his left when he spoke was Ingebrigtsen. Kerr’s stern expression and lack of reconciliation revealed his level of exhaustion in his tone.
“I came here to run some fantastic miles that will be recorded in a century. I am striving to be the best in the world. … And if that irritates people or confuses my competitors, I’m sure it will because the whole world wants to do what I do.”
Want to relax? no. This is the hottest beef since Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
And yes, Kerr listens to Kendrick.
“That’s right.” He smiled and confirmed that he understood.
Kerr intended to ratchet up the tension to the highest level. He is convinced of his superiority in his field of study. Stepping in too early was the kind of flexibility that energized this exciting soap opera.
He primarily plays kicker. It was Ingebrigtsen who set off early and dared the rest to catch up. It is a move of power. If his competitors conserve energy while he’s leading and still can’t catch up with him, it only proves his dominance. But Kerr did not back down this time either. He was trying to strike a chord and maybe it would be a major one.
“I’m enjoying this,” Kerr said. “At this point in your life, you’ll always look back and think, ‘Those were the glory days.’ And I know they are right now. So I’m enjoying it as much as I can.”
It was a piled field. The world’s best time (and best of the year) was 3:47.83 by Nuguse at the Millrose Games in New York in February. Saturday at Hayward Field, Wightman matched that time and finished fifth. Seven runners clocked 3 minutes and 49 seconds.
But after three of four laps, Kerr, Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse were ahead. It was highlighted that this trio heading to Paris is a mid-distance big three.
American record holder Nuguse took third place with a time of 3 minutes, 46.22 seconds. He’s definitely J. Cole. Nuguse, the happiest of the three, avoided any hostility. It has an amusement park smile that looks as if it was drawn by a caricaturist. Perfect for future orthodontists. He consumes only positive vibes. He’d rather take down Pokemon or like Taylor Swift than get into competitive banter.
Nuguse said running in the shadows as an underestimated threat was one of the benefits of having all the attention focused on tensions between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen. He believes it makes him dangerous in Paris.
“I have always believed that happiness is a much stronger emotion than anger,” Nuguse said Friday. “Especially when racing. Anger comes and goes and it goes away really quickly. But I think if you’re really enjoying what you’re doing, that’s what’s going to keep you going and really help you get through that last 200 meters. I always thought that way, and it always worked.”
Athletics website Citius Mag has a full timeline of the Kerr-Ingebrigtsen beef starting in earnest in August 2023.
But for the crash course, it started with the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Ingebriksen became a world star by winning the gold medal in the 1,500m, beating Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot with a time of 3 minutes, 28.32 seconds. Kerr used a late surge to win the bronze medal.
Then, at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, with Ingebrigtsen still basking in golden glory, Wightman surprised him in the 1,500m and snatched gold from Ingebrigtsen in the final 300m.
Josh Kerr leads Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the 1,500m final at the 2023 World Championships. Kerr beat his rival again on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. (David Ramos / Getty Images)
This makes the 2023 World Championships in Budapest the next big stage where Ingebrigtsen can regain his dominant status. But like Wightman, Kerr’s late surge gave Ingebrigtsen another silver medal. After the loss, Ingebrigtsen said he was not 100% while feeling some glory in Kerr’s breakthrough win.
When later asked if he was looking forward to a rematch with Kerr, Ingebrigtsen revealed that he was not fully fit and dismissed the idea that Kerr was on his level, calling him “the next guy.”
In November, Kerr struck back. He said Ingebrigtsen’s ego was very high and that he had major weaknesses that needed to be addressed or he would not win gold in Paris.
Last February, Ingebrigtsen told a Norwegian publication that he would win “98 times out of 100” against Kerr and Wightman.
And two weeks later, after Kerr set a new world record in the two-mile race at the Milose Games, Ingebrigtsen, then injured, blindfolded himself and declared that he would beat Kerr.
Last March, Ingebrigtsen declared his rivals irrelevant and told The Times UK: “The biggest problem is paying attention to people like Kerr. That’s exactly what he’s looking for. He is missing something in himself that he is looking for in others.”
Yes, tensions have been rising for almost a year. Saturday was not the time to tone things down. But let your feet do the talking. Seasoned race fans gathered at Hayward Field were drooling with palpable excitement. Olympic-level drama at a Diamond League event. What happened at Prefontaine on Saturday was even more fascinating when we met again in August.
“Some of my competitors have definitely taken a step in the right direction,” says Ingebrigtsen. “But it’s not as big of a step as it needs to be to make it popular in Paris.”
(Top photo of Josh Kerr defeating Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the Bowerman Mile on Saturday: Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
