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Jakob Ingebrigtsen has expressed his doubt that rivals including Josh Kerr would be able to compete at cross country after romping to a third European title.
Ingebrigtsen added another dominant gold at the European Championships to his considerable medal haul on the track and trails as he secured a third senior triumph in four years.
The Norwegian had missed last year’s event as he prioritised recovering from injury ahead the Olympics.
The 24-year-old won 5,000m gold at Paris 2024 but missed out on a medal in the defence of his 1,500m crown as Cole Hocker, Kerr and Yared Nuguse surged past him in the home straight.
The trio lack, however, Ingebrigtsen’s multi-terrain success, and the three-time Euro Cross champion does not think that everyone is equipped for different disciplines.
“If you don’t feel like you can perform, you won’t do it,” Ingebrigtsen told Athletics Weeklyafter securing victory in Antalya. “The people that aren’t here are most likely not able to perform in different races.
“I think we all try to find things in which we can perform and hopefully fight for medals. The people who were here today are those that are able to fight for medals in these sorts of championships. That’s how the world works.”
Ingebrigtsen now has seven gold medals at the European Cross Country Championships across age groups.
His latest success came just days after it was confirmed that his father, Gjert, will stand trial in 2025 after being accused of mental, physical and verbal abuse of Jakob and brothers Henrik and Filip.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen denies the allegations.
