Ingebrigtsen Salvages Pride For Norway With World-Leading 1,500 Meters, But Just Barely

By David Woods for DyeStat

Photo Thomas Windestam for Diamond League

It took a dive across the finish by Jakob Ingebrigtsen to prevent Norway’s track and field heroes from going 0-for-2 Thursday in front of the home Bislett Games crowd.

After Karsten Warholm was beaten by Brazil's Alison dos Santos in the 400-meter hurdles, it was up to Ingebrigtsen. The 23-year-old Norwegian delivered in the 1,500 meters, albeit barely, in a rainy Diamond League stop at Oslo.

Ingebrigtsen, coming off a season-opening loss to Josh Kerr at the Prefontaine Classic, was seemingly in control before the closing 50 meters. But Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot surged late and even appeared to overtake Ingebrigtsen. Instead, Ingebrigtsen went parallel to the ground for victory, 3:29.74 to 3:29.77.

It was a reprise of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics finish. Top seven went under the 2024 world lead of 3:31.96. Azeddine Habz of France was third in 3:30.80.

Afterward, Cheruiyot said he has been dealing with an injury over the past nine months. Ingebrigtsen, too, is coming off injury. He was demonstrative after the 1,500, picking himself up to wave to the crowd during a celebratory jog.

“I feel lucky that I was able to get healthy and get a couple of months of good training before the summer,” Ingebrigtsen said.

Showdown in the 400 hurdles lived up to the pre-race hype as Warholm and dos Santos finished nearly two seconds ahead of third place.

Warholm bolted to his customary fast start but lost momentum in clipping the 10th hurdle, and the hard-charging dos Santos came on to win in 46.63 -- .01 faster than Rai Benjamin’s world lead. Warholm was second in 46.70, equaling his fastest opener.

Warholm set the meeting record of 46.52 last year. His world record is 45.94. Before Paris, he will race at the European Championships in Rome. He said he is on “a very good path,” refining a new stride pattern of 14 steps between hurdles.

As for dos Santos:

“It is going to be amazing in Paris 2024. I am so excited about the things I can do. Everything before Paris is just a preparation for that. So it is going to be, like, awesome.”

In one of the deepest 5,000 meters ever, Hagos Gebrhiwet of Ethiopia was little more than a second off the world record, breaking away from countryman Yomif Kejelcha to clock 12:36.73. Gebrhiwet broke Kenenisa Bekele’s 20-year-old national record of 12:37.35, although short of the world record of 12:35.36 set by Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei in 2020.

Kejelcha was second in 12:38.95, climbing to No. 4 all-time, and Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo third in 12:40.96, No. 7 all-time.

Thirteen men ran under 13 minutes, all of them with PBs except Cheptegei, ninth in 12:51.94. Records for place were set in second and seventh through 12th, according to Track & Field News.

Luis Grijalva, the 25-year old out of Northern Arizona, was sixth in 12:50.58, breaking his Guatemalan record. (In the Americas, only USA’s Grant Fisher, 12:46.96 and Canada’s Moh Ahmed, 12:47.20, have ever been faster.) Grijalva, fourth in each of the past two World Championships, showed he is in the mix for an Olympic medal.

Former Florida State runner Adrian Wildschutt was 13th in 12:56.97, a South African record.

Brittany Brown leaves Shericka Jackson far behind

In women’s highlights:

>> 200 meters. Brittany Brown, silver medalist from 2019 Worlds, showed she is a top contender to make the U.S. team. She surged late out of lane 8 to beat Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, 22.32 to 22.36. Shericka Jackson was a distant fifth in 22.97, even slower than her 22.82 from May 19 at Marrakesh, Morocco. The 29-year-old Jamaican did not show the form of a woman who is second-fastest in history – 21.41 from last year’s worlds.

>> 400 meters. In a race featuring all three 2023 world medalists, Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic maintained mastery with a time of 49.30, fastest in the world outdoors. Silver medalist Natalia Kaczmarek of Poland was second in 49.80 and USA’s Alexis Holmes third in 50.40. Barbados’ Sada Williams, bronze last year, was fifth in 50.71.

>> 3,000 meters. Australia’s Georgia Griffith ran the closing 400 in 61.6 and overtook countrywoman Jessica Hull to set a meeting record of 8:24.20. Likina Amebaw of Ethiopia was second in 8:24.29 and Hull, coming off a 1,500 at Pre, was third in 8:25.82. Coincidentally, the previous Bislett Games record was 8:25.01 by Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet, who set a world record in the 10,000 at Pre.

Lightfoot vaults to first DL win

In other men’s highlights:

>> Pole vault: KC Lightfoot doesn’t have a global medal yet, but he has his first Diamond League victory. He cleared 19 feet, 1.25 inches (5.82m) to beat five others who could go no higher than 18-9.25 (5.72m). He said he usually does not jump in the rain. “I have a lot of good days and a lot of bad days, but today I am pleased it was a good day,” he said.

>> 100 meters: Akani Simbine of South Africa continued his strong season, running his record to 5-0 by running 9.94 in less-than-perfect conditions. Defending Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy was fourth in 10.03. “It is Olympic year, and I want to defend my title, of course, so I mustn’t push my body too quickly too soon,” Jacobs said. “But I will be ready.”

>> 400 meters: Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith underscored his bid for Olympic gold, setting a European record of 44.07. Hudson-Smith is coming off silver and bronze medals at the past two World Championships. Grenada’s Kirani James, medalist at each of the past three Olympics, was a distant second in 44.58. Americans Vernon Norwood and Quincy Hall were third and fifth in 44.68 and 45.02, respectively.

>> Discus: New world record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania scored his second Diamond League victory, throwing 232-7 (70.91m). Australia’s Matthew Denny was second at 222-5 (67.81m), and reigning world and Olympic champion Daniel Stahl of Sweden third at 219-2 (66.80m). The field featured the top seven from 2023 Worlds and top six from Tokyo.

Contact David Woods at dwoods1411@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.