Athletics might have a reputation as a gentleman’s sport, but the rivalry between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen is anything but courteous. These two titans of the 1500m are locked in a fierce battle that’s far from friendly. In Tokyo 2020, Ingebrigtsen snatched the gold while Kerr settled for bronze. But the story took a twist last month in Paris, where Kerr upgraded to silver, showing that he’s not just in it for the medals—he’s out to topple Ingebrigtsen.

The tension between them has only escalated, especially with Kerr throwing shade at Jakob every chance he gets. His recent snarky comments have been the talk of the track, adding a whole new layer of drama to an already intense rivalry. It’s not just about who crosses the finish line first; it’s about who can claim ultimate bragging rights. With each race, the stakes—and the pettiness—are only getting higher!

At the pre-race press conference before the Diamond League Zurich, the interviewer asked Jakob and Josh, “What’s the best quality that you have in your view, Josh, and vice versa for you, Jakob? What’s the best quality Judge has?” Josh went first and his response took a surprising turn. Instead of offering a serious answer, he made a petty remark, saying, “His dress sense is probably his best quality, and that would be number one. Dress sense!“

When Jakob Ingebrigtsen was asked the same question, he chose a different approach. Instead of repeating past controversies, he offered a genuine assessment. He highlighted the importance of delivering peak as he said, “I would probably say performance or making 100% when it matters. I think that’s important for us. I think Josh has been doing that since at least Tokyo, so being able to make your best race when it really matters is a strong support.” However, Kerr was not pleased with this.

Ever since that dramatic night in Paris when Cole Hocker surged ahead to claim victory, Kerr hasn’t competed. Kerr finished second, Ingebrigtsen missed out on a medal, coming fourth. Now, all four have a chance to assert their dominance in Switzerland. As always with Kerr and Ingebrigtsen, the build-up has been rife with subtle jabs and intriguing banter, adding to the excitement surrounding their next encounter. But it seems Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s rivalry is never-ending!

The fierce feud between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen intensifies

The standing competition, between Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsed took an intense turn on August 23rd in Budapest at the World Championships 1500m final last year when Kerr surprisingly triumphed over Ingebrigtsed who attributed his loss to illness instead of acknowledging Kerr’s win.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t feel 100%,” the Norwegian said. “I felt that after 500m my legs were not feeling as smooth as I would like them to be. Obviously, not the best run of the day” stated Kerr. He continued that Ingebrigtsens’s display in the semi-final came from a place of “insecurity ” and the lack of fair play, from his rival “hurt a little.”

Ingebrigtsen did redeem himself by winning the 2023 World Championships 5000m final. Yet, when asked if he was looking forward to racing Kerr again later that year, he brushed it off, saying the Scot was “just the next guy.” This response only fueled the rivalry further.

A year ago in Zurich during a Diamond League press event when asked about the feud, with Kerr; he responded assertively and intensified the conflict with his remarks. He said, “He can be disrespectful to me, that’s fine. I still have the World Championships gold medal and I’m going to be the world champion for the next two years regardless of his comments. Obviously, I don’t love disrespectful comments and I’ve worked hard to get into this position and I beat him on the day. But if that’s the kind of route he wants to go down, that’s fine with me, I’m kind of unbothered by it.”

Both athletes have had a month to recover. Now all attention is on their upcoming showdown, at the Zurich Diamond League this Thursday as their rivalry is expected to escalate to new levels of intensity.