Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen added one of the very few titles he has yet to claim to his gleaming collection on the second evening session of the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing on Saturday (22).
A silver medallist in the 1500m in Belgrade three years ago when he was weakened by coronavirus, Ingebrigtsen improved to gold in the 3000m after outsprinting Ethiopia’s Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Berihu Aregawi who took the initiative with just under 400 metres remaining.
Aregawi held Ingebrigtsen off when the Norwegian tried to make a decisive move just after the bell chimed but Ingebrigtsen tucked back in, stayed patient before utilising his superior middle distance speed to sprint past the Ethiopian in the home straight for victory in 7:46.08 ahead of Aregawi in 7:46.25.
Ingebrigtsen, who covered the last 400m in 54.42, won his third 1500/3000m double at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn earlier this month, will endeavour to complete the same double on the global stage in tomorrow evening’s 1500m final.
Still only 24, Ingebrigtsen takes his tally of senior titles up to an astonishing 21 titles - 16 European and five global - across all distances and surfaces with the possibility of adding 1500m gold to his collection on Sunday.
Steven Mills for European Athletics