by Larry Eder
How do you write about King Jakob?
At this time, Jakob Ingebrigtsen owns World Indoor records at the mile, 1,500 meters, 2,000 meters, 3,000 meters, and 2 miles on the short track!
Outdoors, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has set World records at 2,000 meters, 3,000 meters, and 2 miles! The two-mile record, 7:54.10, blows my mind, two consecutive miles at 3:57 mile pace!
I have interviewed Jakob several times since 2019, and I have to tell you, he is sure a lot of fun and he likes to talk to the media who know track and field.
At the Olympics, Jakob Ingebrigtsen has won gold at the 1,500 meters (Tokyo 2021) and the 5,000 meters (Paris 2024).
Many athletes love Jakob because he races a lot and he fears no one! Jakob has lost big races, but he has also made those athletes run their very best!
In our interviews, Jakob Ingebrigtsen talks to me about the confidence he gets from racing, and he loves racing cross-country! His cross-country strength, in my belief, helps Jakob race from 1,500 meters to 5,000 meters so effectively!
Among his many feats, Jakob has won eight European Athletics Cross-Country Championships! Of cross-country, Jakob told the media at the 2024 EA champs:
“Cross-country is something that I really enjoy. It’s very different from my other competitions; there’s something special and exciting about around 100 people going for the first turn at the starting line. There’s a lot of fighting and pushing and shoving; there’s a lot of things that could happen. The course was very challenging, tactical, and technical. It’s all about using the energy wisely and trying to maneuver”.
Last year, Jakob ran cross-country, then European Indoors, and World Indoors. He sustained injuries and raced himself back to fitness for Tokyo, running the 1,500 meters heats and the 5,000 meters final! Watch Jakob race well in 2026! In Tokyo, he told his friends that he was there to “have some fun”. Jakob is always realistic: He knew that Tokyo was going to be an experience and he wanted to be there, even if he was not fully fit!
Jakob Ingebrigtsen will be competing in Lagoa, Portugal on December 14, 2025 at the SPAR European Athletics Cross Country Championships (check out the EA story right here): https://www.runblogrun.com/2025/11/can-anyone-stop-jakob-ingebrigtsen-at-the-spar-european-cross-country-championships.html
Want to see Jakob compete in cross country? Go on the www.european-athletics.com site as they have some great archives. Please note that European Athletics offers their cross country champs for FREE via streaming on December 14, 2025! Go to www.european-athletics.com!
