Rivalries are great things to read in books! The thrill, the motivation, and the push they give are beyond measure. But do those give a similar vibe to the individuals in reality? Yared Nuguse might surely be thinking about it today! Just a week ago, he made a tremendous effort at the 117th Millrose Games to claim the world record in the mile event. His timing of 3:46.63 minutes held off his opponent on the indoor track of Armory Center. And the world record was set straight! Nuguse was the one to hoist the American flag in the event last week. But everything fell flat on February 13. How so? 

The rivalry! Nuguse’s Norwegian nemesis, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, took four days to dethrone the latter in the men’s indoor mile event. In Lievin, he shaved 1.49 seconds from the American athlete’s timing and reset the world record. Not only that, on February 13, Jakob came up with a firm message. His message came in two ways. First, he brushed his shoulder on the track after breaking Nuguse’s record, showing an unbothered attitude. Later, he continued the same mood on social media. Want to know how?

Right after recording the world’s best timing in the men’s indoor mile event, Jakob Ingebrigtsen narrated himself as “Jakgoat” on social media and dropped a “sorry” for Yared. But the two-time Olympic champion didn’t stop there! In his social media post, Jakob went on to pen a fresh challenge for his American rival. There he wrote, “Looking forward to race you.” Yared, however, welcomed the Norwegian wholeheartedly with his unique gesture! Or should we say a rather comical gesture?

On Instagram, he expressed his congratulations through a humorous snapshot. Without a doubt, Yared Nuguse acknowledged Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s win in that snapshot. But the lines in the snap read, “You win some you lose some, was a lit 5 days.” An outpouring of fun and respect in the same place, right? Well, here comes the banter as well. The same snap had a banana making faces. So where will things turn from here? Another track battle? The dynamics among the athletes have mirrored what Nuguse expressed in his Instagram post. An explanation would help. 

The track records between the two athletes don’t announce a clear winner. How so? The first one is about the mile short track, and unfortunately, the duo has yet to lock horns with each other in the event. However, the men’s mile event has seen them battling, and Jakob has the advantage there. But what about the prime event, the men’s 1500m event? The event might explain the tale of rivalry between the two. 

In the overall results, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has a clear edge over Yared Nuguse in the event. The 24-year-old has won 6 races compared to Yared’s two. But he lost to the latter in a key race. Last year, Nuguse stood as the barrier between Jakob and a podium finish in the men’s 1500m Olympic final. That loss turned out to be something, as Ingebrigtsen took only four days to announce a boisterous comeback. In the men’s 5000m final, he bagged the gold medal in the Paris Olympics. And now this! The rivalry episode still seems to be on. But the track and field veterans have a hint of something!

Yared Nuguse’s days of heartbreak continue 

The 2025 World Athletics Championships will go to Tokyo in September this year. The contest will have the men’s 1500m event and names like Yared Nuguse, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Cole Hocker, and Josh Kerr. Almost a replay of the Paris Olympics! But the result might not have a similar result. Per Weldon Johnson, things might not be good for Nuguse in Tokyo. An explanation will help, right?

In a podcast hosted by LetsRun.com, Weldon had the chance to share his take on the upcoming track battle just two days back. There, in the discussion, the former national athlete wasn’t ready to magnify Yared Nuguse’s chance to claim big at the global tournament. In fact, he didn’t consider giving space to the American athlete’s world record-making performance in the Millrose Games. According to him, Jakob would perform far better in the Tokyo contest. He noted, “There are still a lot of doubts about Jakob, how he handles these kickers but I’m still putting him ahead of Nuguse.” A heartbreak for Nuguse? The fans might probably take a little more time to conclude that!