Despite returning from Achilles surgery, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has wasted little time showing the world that he is still capable of competing at the highest level. On September 11, the Norwegian beat American stars Cole Hocker and Parker Wolfe to win the 5,000m at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 12:59.24. But while he was expected to race the 1,500m next, Ingebrigtsen made a last-minute decision to withdraw from the race, citing concerns over his recovery.
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Ingebrigtsen confirmed the decision himself on September 12 through a video posted on Instagram. He explained that he had tested himself on the treadmill before deciding that he was not ready to handle another race so soon after the 5,000m. “Unfortunately, I’m not in a position where I’m able to go back-to-back races,” Ingebrigtsen said.
The decision followed a rough year for the 25-year-old. His Achilles problems had kept him away from racing for almost a year, and he eventually underwent surgery in February 2026. He took time off from competition until August, when he was racing in the 5,000m at the European Championships in Birmingham. Even after such a long break, Ingebrigtsen won the European 5,000m title in 13:15.29, making it his fourth straight victory in the event at the championships.
He then showed even more confidence at the Ultimate Championship 5000m. But again he withdrew from the 1,500m where he was supposed to face Kerr. But Ingebrigtsen said he would have preferred to be able to recover faster, but his recent injury problems have forced him to be more careful.
“I would love for it to be a little bit different and to be a little bit sharper in terms of recovery,” he said. “But coming from a very difficult last two years with injury problems and Achilles surgery, it’s forced me to be more sensible than I would like to be.” For Ingebrigtsen, the decision is not about giving up on the season. Instead, he wants to make sure he can rebuild his fitness properly and prepare for the years ahead.
He also made it clear that he does not want to rush the process. Ingebrigtsen pointed to the importance of training consistently and rebuilding his fitness day by day. “Fitness cannot be faked,” he said. “It’s about doing the work every day, it’s about showing up to training.”
Rather than leaving Budapest immediately, Ingebrigtsen said he would stay for the rest of the championships and watch the action as a spectator. His decision came after weeks of tension with Josh Kerr, making his withdrawal from the 1,500m even more notable.
Ingebrigtsen and Kerr’s war of words
The tension between Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kerr had started earlier in August at the European Championships in Birmingham. Ingebrigtsen returned from his Achilles injury and won the 5,000m title, but Kerr was not part of the event after choosing to skip the championships. Kerr had already enjoyed a busy summer, including his world-record mile run in London, where he clocked 3:42.66. He later won Commonwealth Games gold, but decided to manage his schedule rather than compete in Birmingham.
After his victory, Ingebrigtsen was asked about athletes choosing to miss major championships. He said he believed athletes skipping major championships were “ruining the sport” and said he personally could never choose a fast time over competing for a championship title. Kerr later defended his decision, explaining that he needed to be careful with his racing schedule and protect his body after dealing with injury problems.
When asked about Ingebrigtsen’s comments ahead of the Ultimate Championship, Kerr gave a light-hearted response before making his position clear. He said he was “not a robot” and explained that athletes have to make their own decisions about when and where they compete.
The exchange added fuel to the fire of their rivalry. But their rivalry has been ongoing for several years. The Norwegian was beaten by Kerr in the World Championships 1500m final in Budapest in 2023 to pick up the 1500m title. They met once again in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ingebrigtsen took gold in the 5,000m, and came up just short of gold in the 1,500m, but Kerr took bronze. Their meeting in Budapest was to be yet another great race between the two.