The penultimate Diamond League meet of the season was highly anticipated and for good reasons. Track and field fans from around the world are still not over the thriller that was the 2024 Paris Games, all eyes were on the Zurich Diamond League to keep the party going. Among the events in the Swiss city, the en’s 1,500m was among the most anticipated, as fans couldn’t wait to watch the rematch between the USA’s Yared Nuguse and Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway.

At the last Diamond League meet in Switzerland in August, Jakob Ingebrigtsen claimed gold in his signature distance event, further adding to his impressive medal collection. Naturally, fans expected a repeat performance from the 23-year-old at the Letzigrund. However, Yared Nuguse had other plans, taking the win as Ingebrigtsen attributed his loss to poor health. Yet, fans aren’t buying it.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen sheds light on his Zurich loss

In the men’s 1500m race at the Paris Games, Yared Nuguse narrowly edged out Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen to claim the bronze, while Nuguse’s American teammate, Cole Hocker, took the gold. When the three athletes crossed paths again on September 6 in Zurich, fans were eagerly anticipating another thrilling showdown. However, Ingebrigtsen came in second after Nuguse and revealed what caused the disappointing result in an interview with Citius Mag. In the YouTube upload from September 6, Jakob noted that he wasn’t feeling 100% ahead of the race.

“I looked at myself in the mirror today. I looked like sh**. I had watery eyes…It’s not an ideal position to be in, but it was good enough that I decided to get myself on the plane,” said in the interview. However, he also noted that he ran much better than he expected to, considering he crossed the finishing line under the 3:30.00 mark.

However, fans weren’t pleased with how Ingebrigtsen once again resorted to pointing at his health for his poor result in an event. And soon enough, they came forward with their opinion on the two-time Olympic gold medalist’s excuse-making.

The track and field community has had enough

Fans took to various social media platforms to frown at Ingebrigtsen for how he always seems to be under the weather whenever he cannot match the expectations. The two-time World Championships gold medalist beat Cole Hocker and British arch-rival Josh Kerr to win silver in Zurich, but still couldn’t manage to edge past Nuguse. With that, Ingebrigtsen attributing his health, again, isn’t sitting well with fans. “Dude always has an excuse after a loss,” sneered one fan on X.

After his loss to Ethiopia’s Samuel Tefera at the 2022 World Indoor Championship too, Ingebrigtsen attributed his poor health condition for the loss. With him taking the same route in Zurich, many track connoisseurs think the Viking sprinter needs to come up with better logic, especially considering how the world knows Ingebrigtsen has what it takes to win races. “Just say you got beat. 2 seconds off PR isn’t a bad day,” vents Jimi, while also admiring the middle-distance runner’s mettle.

“this man is too predictable,” jokes another fan on X as they claim that such a nuanced admittance was on its way from the Olympian who never seems to take a loss in a sporting manner.

David, on the other hand, thinks that Ingebrigtsen should just swallow the pill and accept that his peers are putting in just as many hours as him with their eyes on the prize as well. “Oh stop the damn excuses every single time you get beaten. Learn to lose with grace and give credit to your fellow competitors who work just as hard as you,” fumes this fan, who claims that Jakob shouldn’t show up in the 1500m race with the same kind of excitement as the 5k.

However, any true track fan would agree: Ingebrigtsen’s medal cabinet is drool-worthy and can make any track star jealous of his accolades. Three world records, and numerous other continental and national records under his belt, Jakob is easily one of the most revered track runners of our time, and Steve is here to remind us of the same. “Ingebrigtsen’s consistency is incredible. You gotta love that the guy shows up and races,” wrote the fan on X, noting that the men’s 1500 is stacked with competitive sprinters.

What are your thoughts on why Ingebrigtsen suffered a loss in the same event that brought him gold at the Lausanne just two weeks ago? Tell us with a comment below!