Josh Kerr is set to go head to head against arch-nemesis Jakob Ingebrigtsen in what’s been dubbed a “race for the ages”.
The men’s 1500m final on Tuesday evening is one of the most hotly-anticipated events of the Paris Olympics, with world champion Kerr hoping to silence his bitter rival once and for all.
Ingebrigtsen has previously said he could beat Kerr “blindfolded”, while Kerr says the final will be one of the most “vicious and hardest” races the sport has seen in a “very long time”.
Norway’s Ingebrigtsen, 23, is the reigning Olympic champion, with Team GB’s Kerr, 26, the bronze medallist from Tokyo 2020.
Fellow Scotsman Neil Gourley has also made the final, but barring a significant shock, it will either be Kerr or Ingebrigtsen crowned winner at the Stade de France.
The pair appeared to exchange a glance at the finish line during their semi-final race, with Ingebrigtsen pipping Kerr by 3:32.38 to 3:32.46 in what was a dress rehearsal for their grand finale.
There is no love lost between the competitors, with World Athletics president Lord Coe describing it as “probably not a friendship made in heaven”.
Lord Coe, a fprmer Olympian himself, described the showdown as a potential “race for the ages”.
Over the years we have seen a number of sporting rivalries – from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in tennis, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in football, and Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in boxing.
Both Kerr and Ingebrigtsen appear unfazed by the barbs thrown at each other, with their rivalry appearing to originate from when the Scot beat the Norwegian at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Ingebrigtsen said he was suffering from a virus and discounted Kerr as a worthy rival, saying he was “just the next guy”.
This appeared to light the fuse to their mutual criticism, with Kerr later appearing on a podcast and saying Ingebrigtsen was surrounded by so many “yes men” he was unaware he had “weaknesses”.
As Ingebrigtsen was forced to call off his 2024 indoor season while recovering from an Achilles injury, Kerr set a new two-mile indoor world best of 8:00.67 at the Millrose Games.
Ingebrigtsen, who holds the outdoor two-mile record of 7:54.10, said had he recovered, he could have beat Kerr “blindfolded”.
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And last week, Ingebrigtsen appeared to take aim at Kerr’s choice to limit his time on the track.
Ahead of the Olympics, the Edinburgh athlete had raced just twice since he beat his rival the last time they ran against each other, in the mile at the Eugene Diamond League meeting in May.
Both of Kerr’s subsequent appearances were at 800m, the heats and final of June’s British championships.
Ingebrigtsen said of Kerr: “It is difficult to refer to him as a rival when he is never there. He is known as the Brit who never competes.
“I try to enter as many races as I can and I want to be here to entertain.”
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Kerr acknowledged he had heard the comment but responded that he would “like to be defined in my career at the end of it”.
Ahead of the final, he said: “They should be expecting one of the most vicious and hardest 1500 metres this sport has seen for a very long time.
“I am ready to go after it. I think we all are. There has been a lot of talk and words over the last 12 months, even two years. I am looking to settle that on Tuesday and give it my best performance.”
The Scot said it will be “another day in the office” for the runner.
He added: “Jakob will try to win, I will try to win, and we will see who wins.”
