“Don’t Need Any of This”: Injustice Against Athletes Leads Jakob Ingebrigtsen to Find Common Ground With Intense Rival Josh Kerr

The rivalry has been building between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen since both runners compete in the middle distance and have become arch-rivals over time. At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, the former outpaced Ingebrigtsen to claim the 1500m victory. That victory was the spitting image of the 2022 Worlds when Jake Wightman defeated the haughty 1500 WR holder as well.

Recently out of the roster for an Achilles tendon setback, he didn’t skip taking a jab at Kerr. “I would have beaten him in that race, blindfolded” surely blew up the internet on its advent. Despite this, the 23-year-old half-marathoner tied himself to the same chord as his arch-enemy Josh Kerr. Let’s see how.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen surprisingly agreed with Josh Kerr

Some sports officials like LeBron James pull in serious cash. But the others toil to get the compensation that measures up to the work they put in. This issue didn’t go unnoticed by speedster Josh Kerr. Clocking a new indoor 2-mile world record at the Millrose Games and his 3000m Indoors win came back-to-back.

But the Glasgow event handed him a $40,000 prize money, which made him utter “That seems crazy versus other sports. We need to bring some validity to these championships”. Dispirited by the low pay, the 26-year-old double World Champion received support from Ingebrigtsen. But on the contrary, the latter also said that he doesn’t “need any of this”, which hints at cash prizes and medals.

Though Jakob Ingebrigtsen had acknowledged 1500m as his weak area, he never felt the need to praise Kerr for his excellence. Going candid with The Times, the 23-year-old opined that his ‘irrelevant’ competitor lacks the attention he owns. Let’s hear what the 2000m World Indoor record holder had to say.

Ingebrigtsen’s bitterness came to light

“The biggest issue is giving people like Kerr attention. That’s what he is seeking. He is missing something in himself that he is searching for in others. I’m not the sort of guy to approve those sorts of things”, said the 2x World Champion. Keeping himself as an example, he said, “I am strict and notorious when it comes to my own mindset. If other athletes are not the same, I cannot respect them the way I respect myself”. 

Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s routine encompasses twice daily workouts and pushing limits to maximize abilities. “You can be proud for so long but at the end of the day, nobody cares. It’s all gone. That’s the way the world works”, said the one who’s eyeing Paris for some extraordinary feats. As inevitable as it gets, Josh Kerr would be a line favorite of the event surely.

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