Idrettsglede – Did you know that Norway has a word to explain the joy of sport? The nation has been focusing on encouraging children to fall in love with the sport without being coerced into it. They have even taken the pressure off children under the age of 13. Keeping score of their games is a concept that doesn’t exist in many sports. This concept seems to have shone through with the likes of amazing athletes the country has churned out in the past few years. One of the names that stands out is Erling Haaland.  

The 24-year-old had an incredibly stacked 2022-2023 season. Having won the FA Cup, European Cup and Premier League, the striker effortlessly clinched a Treble with Manchester City. However, apart from insane racking up insane numbers on the field, the Norwegian is best known for his strength and his speed. During his time at Borussia Dortmund, the striker’s quickest time was 22.56 mph against Arminia Bielefeld. But he was quicker in the Champions League last year with a time of 21.5 mph. 

Another Norwegian who has made his nation proud with his prowess on the track – Jakob Ingebrigtsen. The defending champion stepped into the Stade de France for another Olympic gold in the 1500m. Even though he had a strong lead for most of the race, he eventually lost steam towards the end. Despite losing out on a podium finish, he will be looking to redeem himself at the Zurich Diamond League on September 5. The track and field community is beside themselves, but a new unlikely rivalry has entered the conversation.

Many fans are curious about the outcome if the two athletes contested against each other. One fan posted their query on r/trackandfield – Who would win the 100m dash? Erling Haaland or Jakob Ingebrigtsen? While it seems like quite a far-fetched scenario, many believe either of their favorites would emerge victorious. While the Olympian has never contested in sprints, he is known for having great endurance on the track. Who do fans think will emerge victorious in this unbelievable showdown? Let’s find out.

Track and field community in a frenzy over Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s new ‘rival’

As unlikely as this pairing might seem, it sent fans into overdrive. Some tried making sense of it, while others believed their favorites could easily take up the challenge. One fan stated, “Haaland imo. Haaland has the 5-year old record for long jump or something, so he is very explosive. Jakob is an endurance athlete, so his explosiveness is “non-existent”. I don’t think Jakob even breaks 12 seconds, while I think Haaland can run somewhere between 11 – 11.5 at the slowest.” The striker partook in several sports as a child. At the tender age of 5, he set a long jump distance of 1.63 seconds in 2006. 

However, another fan felt like the runner could give Erling Haaland a tough time. “That would be a big surprise to me.” They then confessed how they’ve previously trained with Ingebrigtsen’s recent WR attempt’s pacer. “Let me tell you something, he is an extremely fast sprinter.” The pacer, Žan Rudolf, previously posted an 11.0 seconds. Keeping this in mind, the fan believes that the middle-distance runner will be able to keep up in the 100m dash. “I would say he is probably about equal in raw speed and much better in endurance.” Maybe they are onto something? 

Another fan seemed to agree, ” Hard to believe a guy that can close a 5000m race in sub 51, struggles to break 13 in the 100m.” The Norwegian might have failed to medal in the 1500m event, but he did claim the top step in the 5000m at Stade de France. However, one fan still believed Haaland could best him. “Probably Haaland, but not by more than 0.85 seconds.” The striker has consistently made waves due to how quick he is on the pitch.  

One fan pulled out statistics to support their point. “Vebjørn Rodal, Norwegian NR holder in the 800m(1:42, and 400m pr of 46.5) has a 100m PR of 11.3(+0.8 m/s), and he was much faster than Jakob at the shorter distances.” They believe that if Rodal can barely make it past 11.5, Jakob would find it a lot harder to reach the time. “If Jakob is getting rolled in the last 100m in 1500m races by guys that barely scrub 12 seconds, then how is it likely that he himself breaks 12 seconds?” They also believe that other middle-distance runners are faster than Ingebrigtsen in shorter distances, so maybe this is an easy win for Haaland. Do you agree with the fans?