“The rivalry ain’t dead!”. The Josh Kerr–Jakob Ingebrigtsen has lit up again. This time with Josh Kerr taking at Ingebrigsten. The two athletes have gone head-to-head in the 1500m event, in which Josh specializes, throughout their careers approximately 18 times. The two have faced each other in global events, including the Global Finals matches of 1500m. Fierce competitors on the track, the two also have made headlines with their poking sessions against each other on their podcast appearances or press interviews. This time around, the context is the Grand Slam Track event scheduled in April.

Josh Kerr takes a shot against Jakob Ingebrigsten

Maintaining their differentiation, 1500m World Champion Josh Kerr has come out in the public, giving his take on Jakob’s non-participation in the Grand Slam Track. Appearing in one of the audio podcasts of The Citius Magazine, Josh states that his rival’s relevance does not make him a suitable participant for the event.

“If he was in the 800/1500 group, watching him run the 800 would be like a deer on ice.” Jakob Ingebrigsten remains behind to be in the contender ship, with Josh revealing his candid thoughts for him. Having no wins in the non-paced races while carrying a promising career in middle and long-distance racing Ingebrigsten’s decision to not sign up for the event, according to Kerr, was a good one. 

With one out of the picture, Josh Kerr’s participation in the Grand Slam Track event, confirmed since June 2024, will come into effect under the 800m or 1500m category. Among the 48 athletes to participate with a confirmed deal in all four Slams, the British runner in the podcast mentioned another player’s participation in the event. 

Josh feels Marco Arop is the cutest

Besides making statements against his rival, Josh Kerr also stated his views on Marco Arop’s reason for participation in the Grand Slam Track. His statements mention Marco’s thoughts on entering the event. “Marco coming out and saying that he wants to run a 3:30 is the cutest thing that I’ve ever seen.”

Soon after Josh Kerr’s interview, Marco revealed his potential target to make a record-breaking performance of 3:30 in the 1500m category, with Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track serving as the right opportunity for him. Making his appearance in Citius Magazine’s recent interview, he stated, “I might sound crazy to say this but I do think I can break 3:30 for 1500m at some point.

Having given away his views, Josh also reflected upon some of the important pointers that he should consider when participating in such an event. To get his potential target, Marco needs to be careful with the splits and always make the right move as to when to run faster or go slower while performing. Putting his brain to use and not making decisions in haste comes in first.

With a silver medal win in the Paris Olympics and a North American record to his name, Marco Arop is a force to be reckoned with. There’s no telling if anyone will be able to stop the reigning 800m World Champion Marco Arop now.