Amused by his miniature Norwegian flag, Jakob Ingebrigtsen was delighted by winning the men's 1500m on Sunday evening in Nanjing at the World Athletics Indoor Championships. His triumph over the fast-finishing Neil Gourley came one day after he dominated the 3000m to secure gold in that event.
Ingebrigtsen's long journey to China added to his legacy as the best active distance runner, as he became the second athlete in history to complete the 1500m/3000m double at World Indoors, following Haile Gebrselassie's performance in Maebashi, Japan in 1999.
The men's 1500m was won in 3:38.79
Ingebrigtsen, who held up his index finger to the camera at the starting line, started with his trademark jog, allowing the field to assemble ahead of him. American Sam Prakel led the early stages of what was the slowest 1500m at a World Indoor meet since 2018's tactical 3:58.19, which was won by Samuel Tefera.
Neil Gourley sat next to Ingebrigtsen, copying his race tactic, even as a gap formed between them and the field before the 100m mark. Prakel took the field out in under 31 seconds, which was slow enough to ensure it would be a tactical final. Ingebrigtsen began moving up into an anxious pack and seemed to lose his balance slightly when passing Sweden's Samuel Pihlström.
After the pace slowed, Ingebrigtsen worked his way up on the back stretch as the excellent camerawork revealed heads turning and eyes glancing in anticipation of the impending move. The entire field seemed to have been ready to respond to the inevitable move. Gourley tracked the most closely, running widely into lane three on Ingebrigtsen's shoulder.
The lead belonged to Ingebrigtsen before the pack crossed the 700m mark. Most of the field reacted, with Gourley cutting in slightly and slotting into second, causing Prakel to have to stick his hand out to balance himself against the back of Isaac Nader.
As Gourley became trapped on the rail, the field allowed Ingebrigtsen to slightly gap them by 900m. On the backstretch, a lesser-known runner hatched his own plan. Austria's Raphael Pallitsch changed gear and edged passed Ingebrigtsen through the 1000m mark. However, on the turn, he was either elbowed or lost his balance, as he wasn't able to complete the pass and he lost momentum into lane two.
Pallitsch's move officially failed when Isaac Nader found a gap and squeezed through it, forcing him further into lane two as Neil Gourley chased Ingebrigtsen on the rail. Nader was rewarded for running some extra distance as he was able to snap ahead of Gourley on the rail. As the men headed toward the bell lap, it was Ingebrigtsen, Nader, Gourley, Luke Houser from the United States, and Pallitsch, who seemed to have gotten thrown off balance a third time.
At the bell, Houser moved wide as Pihlström flew into fifth. On the backstretch, Nader had, oddly, left the rail open, so he was passed by Neil Gourley on the inside and Houser on the outside. One hundred meters remained.
Houser, on the outside of lane one, was in the best position to upset Ingebrigtsen. He was right behind him and just needed to fly off the turn as he had done many times in his NCAA days. He lacked the pop, though, and actually seemed to brush arms with Gourley onto the straight, which affected each man's momentum and guaranteed the win for Ingebrigtsen.
Ingebrigtsen closed well, never being seriously challenged on the last lap. Gourley, despite all the extra distance he had run early in the race, stuck to the rail for second, while Luke Houser fought for a well-earned third place.
Ingebrigtsen flexed his muscles for the camera as the trailing runners crossed the line. His 1500m victory marked yet another superlative for this generational talent.
Other notables in the Men's 1500m
Overshadowing the competition in Nanjing was how many athletes, including sworn rivals of Ingebrigtsen, were missing from the 1500m final. It's quite possible that the entire 1500m final in Tokyo in September will have all different names--aside from Ingebrigtsen's. What Ingebrigtsen's participation meet in this meet shows is that he could afford to take a break from training, travel a long distance, and put together a tight, difficult double. Although some of his fiercest rivals, such as Josh Kerr, would have had a decent shot at it here, the notable is that nobody else tried.
Luke Houser, who is only 23, is the second-biggest beneficiary from the lack of competition. He ran a patient race with solid tactics and was in striking distance of upsetting the guy who held up his index finger signaling "number one" on the starting line. Houser will look to establish himself as one of America's best middle-distance runners during the outdoor season.
What's next for Jakob Ingebrigtsen?
While Grand Slam Track's inaugural meet is two weeks away, Ingebrigtsen is not expected to run in any of those meets this year. He also probably won't return to China for the April 26 or May 3 Diamond League meets. Historically, he's begun racing in late May. So, depending on the Diamond League event schedule, the next time Ingebrigtsen will touch the track will probably be in Rabat on May 25 or Rome on June 6.
In assessing Ingebrigsten's quest for all of the distance running world records, it's been predicted that 2025 is the season that Ingebrigtsen will go for the outdoor records in the mile (3:43.13) and the 5k (12:35.36). Based on his accomplishments during this indoor season, in which he set the indoor mile world record at 3:43.73, the August 2024 analysis figured a 40% chance of breaking the mile record and an 80% chance of breaking the 5k world record during the 2025 season seems plausible, if not conservative.
His double gold is a harbinger of an exciting outdoor season.