EUGENIO, Ore. — With about 700 meters left in the Bowerman Mile, Josh Kerr, Britain's star middle-distance runner, flipped the script on one of the track's most fascinating rivalries. Because it was necessary to send a message. Because Kerr had heard enough from Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Norway's superstar, who declared that he had no equal. Because beef brings something extra to the competition.
So Kerr made his decision early.
“I think it scared the coaching staff because they specifically told me not to do that,” Kerr said afterward. “And I said, 'If I feel like it's time, I'll leave.' …I don't really listen to other people when it comes to race strategy. “I'm going to follow my instinct.”
At the start of the second turn, Kerr was in front. He had surpassed Britain's Jake Wightman. Passed by the American Yared Nuguse. Past Ingebrigtsen. Beyond Abel Kipsang from Kenya. For the final 600 meters, in Saturday's main event and final race at Hayward Field in the Prefontaine Classic, Kerr left behind his fiercest enemy. A rebuttal without words. He betrayed her trust and his training. He challenged the world number one to catch him.
Ingebrigtsen couldn't. Not on this day.
Kerr's 3:45.34 set a new world leading time for the mile and established a new British record. Most intriguing, however, was the layer of novelty it added to the rivalry. Kerr's move on Saturday changed the playing field in this growing chess matchup between the world's best middle-distance runners, adding more suspense to what's possible when they clash for medals in Paris this August.
What a career by Josh Kerr!
It is a new British record in the men's mile race.#BBCAthletics #EugeneDL pic.twitter.com/lDnHddRWEEe
What a career by Josh Kerr!
It is a new British record in the men's mile race.#BBCAthletics #EugeneDL pic.twitter.com/lDnHddRWEEe
– BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 25, 2024
It was Ingebrigtsen's second consecutive loss to her elite teammates. Then you know his A-game is coming. The current Olympic gold medalist in the 1,500 meters will respond as champions do.
He ran 3:45.60 in Saturday's mile, his first action since an Achilles tendon injury forced him to skip the indoor season.
“I tried to fight him,” said Ingebrigtsen, whose last race was the 3,000 meters at the 2023 Prefontaine Classic in September. “But for me, today was about a time trial. Of course, we are competing, but there is definitely some difference in terms of approach to this race. For some, this is the last test of him even before the Paris Olympics. But this is not my final test. So it's definitely a big difference the way we all view this race. But it's a good fight.”
This race was so packed with talent that it was nicknamed the “Mile of the Century.” Amazon follows Ingebrigtsen with cameras, documenting the Norwegian star's trip to Paris. This was the most hyped matchup of the year. The eyes of a global sport were on them. And it was Kerr's debut at Prefontaine.
On Friday he made it very clear that he came to the University of Oregon looking for Norwegian smoke.
“I'm not here to calm the tension,” Kerr said. Sitting to the left of him when he said it: Ingebrigtsen. Kerr's stern expression, the lack of reconciliation in his tone, revealed his level of exhaustion.
“I'm here to run a fantastic mile that will hopefully get shorter over the course of the century. I'm here trying to be the best in the world. …And if that bothers people or irritates competitors, I'm sure it will because everyone is trying to do what I'm doing.”
Resolve the tension? No. This is the spiciest beef since Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
And yes, Kerr listens to Kendrick.
“Yes, of course,” he said, smiling to affirm that he understood the reference.
Kerr had every intention of increasing the tension to the maximum. He is convinced of his superiority in the discipline. Getting out in front so early was the kind of flexibility that fuels this juicy soap opera.
He usually plays the role of kicker. It is Ingebrigtsen who comes out early and challenges the rest to keep up with her. It is a power movement. If his competitors manage to conserve energy while he carries the burden of setting the pace, and still can't catch up, that only shows his dominance. But Kerr was no slouch this time. He was trying to strike a chord, and it would probably be important.
“I'm having fun,” Kerr said. “At this point in your career, you'll always look back and think, 'Those were the glory days.' And I know they are right now. So I'm enjoying it as much as possible.”
It was a stacked field. The world-best time, the best of the calendar year, entering Prefontaine was Nuguse's 3:47.83 at the Millrose Games in New York in February. On Saturday at Hayward Field, Wightman matched that time and finished fifth. Seven runners clocked under 3:49.
But after three of the four laps, Kerr, Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse took the lead. It was highlighted that this trio, which is heading to Paris, is the Big Three of the middle distance.
Nuguse, the American record holder, finished third in 3:46.22. He is sure the J. Cole in this one. Easily the most charmed of the trio, Nuguse has stayed out of the animosity. He maintains an amusement park smile, as if painted by a cartoonist. Adaptation for a future orthodontist. He only consumes positive vibes. He'd rather break down Pokémon or vibe to Taylor Swift than engage in competitive banter.
Coming to run in the shadows as an underrated threat is, Nuguse said, one of the benefits of all the attention focused on the tension between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen. He believes that makes him dangerous in Paris.
“I've always believed that happiness is a stronger emotion than anger,” Nuguse said Friday. “Especially when you run. Anger is something that comes and goes and goes away very quickly. But I think if you really enjoy what you do, you have fun, I think that's what drives you to keep moving and what really helps in those last 200 meters. I have always thought that and it has always worked for me.”
The Citius Mag athletics website has a complete timeline of Kerr-Ingebrigtsen's meat, which began in earnest in August 2023.
But as a crash course, she started at the Tokoyo Olympics in 2021. Ingebrigtsen became a global star when she swept to win gold in the 1,500 meters in 3:28.32, beating Kenyan Timothy Cheruiyot. Kerr took advantage of a late attack to capture bronze.
Then, at the 2022 world championships in Eugene, with Ingebrigtsen still shining in his golden glory, Wightman stunned him in the 1,500, pulling away in the final 300 meters to snatch the gold from Ingebrigtsen.
Josh Kerr leads Jakob Ingebrigtsen during the 1,500-meter final at the 2023 world championships. Kerr once again surpassed his rival on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
This made the 2023 world championships in Budapest the next big stage for Ingebrigtsen to regain her top status. But a late attack from Kerr, similar to Wightman's, pushed Ingebrigtsen to silver again. After losing, Ingebrigtsen said he wasn't 100 percent, taking some of the shine from Kerr's big win.
When asked later if he was looking forward to a rematch with Kerr, Ingebrigtsen revealed that he was not completely healthy and dismissed the idea of Kerr being on his level by calling him “just the next guy.”
In November, Kerr responded. He said that Ingebrigtsen's ego is quite high and that she had major weaknesses that would better be addressed or she wouldn't win gold in Paris.
In February, Ingebrigtsen told a Norwegian-language publication that she would win “98 out of 100 times” against Kerr and Wightman.
Then, two weeks later, after Kerr had set a new world record in the two miles at the Millrose Games, Ingebrigtsen, out with an injury at the time, declared that he would have beaten Kerr blindfolded.
In March, Ingebrigtsen declared her rivals irrelevant and told The Times UK, “The biggest problem is paying attention to people like Kerr. That's what you're looking for. He lacks something in himself that he looks for in others.”
Yes, the tension has been increasing for almost a year. Saturday was not the time to tone down. But let the feet speak. The packed house of enthusiastic racing fans at Hayward Field was almost salivating at the palpable tension. Olympic-level drama in a Diamond League competition. What happened in Prefontaine on Saturday only made it more captivating when they met again in August.
“Some of my competitors,” Ingebrigtsen said, “have clearly taken a step in the right direction. But it is not as big a step as perhaps necessary to be a favorite in Paris.”
(Top photo of Josh Kerr beating Jakob Ingebrigtsen on Saturday in the Bowerman Mile: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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