Jakob Ingebrigtsen has reignited his rivalry with Josh Kerr after saying athletes who miss major championships are “ruining” athletics.
Ingebrigtsen won 5,000m gold in his first race in 11 months in Birmingham after returning from an Achilles injury, but with Kerr absent from the European Championships.
Kerr set a new men’s mile record at the London Diamond League in July before Scot won gold over the same distance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow two weeks ago.
Kerr did not plan to compete at the European Championships, saying he was at risk of injury, but Norwegian star Ingebrigtsen said that he would “never” prioritise a record over a title.
Ingebrigtsen told the BBC: “Of course I am going to go for times, but I don’t think you have to do one or the other.
“It’s not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete – that is the whole point.
“So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position.”
Kerr and Ingebrigtsen developed a sizzling rivalry ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, with Kerr suggested that Ingebrigtsen had “major weaknesses” and Ingebrigtsen claiming her could beat Kerr “blindfolded”. Both men were beaten by Cole Hocker in the 1500m final.
Ingebrigtsen, who praised Kerr’s mile record as “a very strong performance”, also questioned Kerr’s explanation for missing Birmingham.
“It is not like we only have one race in our legs,” he said. “Everything comes down to what you want to do.
“People go to work every day. It is not like because you are a professional runner you can’t work every day.”