Kerr and Ingebrigtsen to renew 1,500m rivalry next month

Tokyo Olympics champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and British athlete Josh Kerr are set to renew their intense 1,500m rivalry at the World Athletics inaugural Ultimate Championship next month. Both athletes received exclusive invitations to participate in the event. Ingebrigtsen currently holds a significant head-to-head advantage over Kerr, although they have not raced against each other since 2024's Zurich Diamond League meet.

Kerr won bronze in Tokyo, while Kerr claimed gold at the 2023 World Championships and silver at the 2022 Paris Olympics. The Scots athlete finished fourth in the 2022 event. The two competitors have exchanged heated comments in the past, with Ingebrigtsen once calling Kerr "just the next guy" and boasting he could beat him blindfolded, while Kerr has claimed Ingebrigtsen has major weaknesses.

Recently, Ingebrigtsen expressed his disappointment that Kerr did not attend the European Championships, stating that athletes skipping major competitions are ruining the sport. Kerr himself broke the mile world record in July at the London Diamond League and later won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, he skipped the European Championships to manage his workload.

The Ultimate Championship will take place in Budapest from September 11 to 13, featuring a strong 1,500m field that includes American Hocker and Portugal's world champion Isaac Nader.