"But the journey was pure gold"- Josh Kerr speaks after defeating Jakob Ingebrigtsen to win silver medal at the Paris Olympics

By Janhavi Shinde

Modified Aug 07, 2024 05:25 GMT

Josh Kerr recently expressed his delight after defeating Jakob Ingebrigsten in the men's 1500m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This marks his second dominance over the Norwegian middle-distance runner in both the Olympic and World Championship races.

Kerr recorded an impressive time of 3:27.79 to earn the silver medal, marking a new national record. Ingebrigsten had to settle in fourth place after registering a time of 3:28.24. The much-anticipated clash between the two was overshadowed by America's Cole Hocker.

Hocker stunned the duo with a blistering sprint in the final 200m of the race. While Ingebrigsten was leading for the major part of the race, it was the final 100m when Kerr, Hocker, and Yared Nuguse surpassed the 23-year-old Norwegian. Nuguse settled in third place after clocking 3:27.80.

The rivalry between Kerr and Ingebrigsten heated after the former took his 2020 Tokyo Olympics revenge at the 2023 World Atheltics Championships, dominating the 1500m and forcing the latter to settle in second place. Following his recent triumph over Ingebrigsten, Kerr took to social media to convey his joy.

"A silver finish, but the journey was pure gold," he wrote.

At the 2020 Tokyo Games, Ingebrigsten took home the gold medal in the event after surpassing Timothy Cheruiyot and Josh Kerr. While the Norwegian runner clocked 3:28.32, Kerr had to settle with 3:29.05. Interestingly, Ingebrigtsen's timing was inferior to what he clocked in his fourth-place finish in Paris.

"I know that he would have been disappointed with today" - Josh Kerr after Jakob Ingebrigsten falls short of defending his title

Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen during the Men's 1500m Final at the World Athletics Championship 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo via Getty Images)

Jakob Ingebrigsten fell short of defending his title in Paris. Although he improved his time from the last Olympics, the Norwegian could not match up with the British and the American athletes in the final few meters of the race.

In an interview with The Guardian Kerr acknowledged Ingebrigsten's disappointed and stated that he only shooked his hand.

"I shook his hand but that was about it, I know that he would have been disappointed with today,” Josh Kerr said.

Further, the 26-year-old runner also conveyed his joy with the race, stating it was his best tactical 1500m.

"I put a performance out there today that I was extremely proud of. I focused on my controllables, I ran the best and the fastest tactical 1500m I have ever done in my life," Kerr added.

Josh Kerr's silver medal-winning time in Paris marks his personal best time in the 1500m event.