“One of the most vicious and hardest 1,500s the sport’s seen in a very long time,” said Team GB’s Josh Kerr ahead of the 1500m finals in Paris. The 26-year-old was spot on with his prediction, as the race became the stage where years of rivalry played out. However, despite coming out on top, the Scotsman didn’t expect a third man to enter the picture.

All people could talk about was Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s rivalry, heading into the finals. The athletes also engaged in a war of words, with Ingebrigtsen having the bragging rights as the defending Olympic champion. Yet it was Team USA’s Cole Hocker, who had the last laugh, upsetting the two favorite in the 300m. Yet, despite the snub, Kerr is content.

“It’s the fastest I’ve ever run. It’s the best 1500m performance I could ever ask for – a British record and a personal best,” the Olympic silver medalist said while speaking to the press. “I told you guys we were going to put on a 1500m that would go down in generations, and we did that today,” he added. Kerr finished second with 3:27.97 on the clock. Meanwhile, the man who had said he would beat the Scottish athlete blindfolded fell to fourth place with 3:28.24.

However, while Josh Kerr may have won the 1500m rivalry against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, at least for now, the race only highlighted how impressive Hocker’s finish was. Not only did the American beat the bitter rivals, but his 3:27.65s finish also earned him the gold medal and an Olympic record. However, Cole Hocker’s victory was not a miraculous coincidence, but a planned upset.

“I kind of told myself that I’m in this race too… If they let me fly under the radar, then so be it,” the god medalist said after his victory. As the rivals were busy trying to beat one another, they didn’t notice Hocker had considered his energy for one relentless push toward the finish line. Thankfully, this time Jakob Ingebrigtsen blamed himself.

Josh Kerr’s rival blames himself

The Norwegian champion dismissed his rival’s 1500m victory at the world championships last year. Ingebrigtsen said he was under the weather after losing to Kerr in Budapest. However, this time took full responsibility for the disastrous outcome. “I ruined it for myself by going way too hard,” said the 23-year-old. The Tokyo 2020 champion had firmly held on to the lead until the final stretch.

Yet, it was his urge to dominate Josh Kerr, that made the champion go off-script. Ingebrigtsen also admitted he had made a mistake on the very first lap, by going “at least two seconds too fast.” Yet, instead of correcting his mistake, the 2x World Champion continued at that same pace. However, he had to pay for it by having no gas in the tank for the final stretch.

The 23-year-old gave it his best shot, but could only watch Hocker, Kerr, and finally Nuguse, pass him by. However, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is looking forward to the 5000m finals despite the defeat at the hands of his rival.