He's dreaming big. What would have have to accomplish to become the GOAT?
“I love to compete and to collect medals. That is what drives me and other athletes. It is not only about the winning, it’s about winning time after time. My main goal is to become the best runner that ever existed. To do that, I will need to win more races and the next one is tomorrow.”
Cheruiyot wasn't thinking about Makhloufi; he was thinking about his training partner, Elijah Manangoi, who could handle his pacing and then dust him in the kick, but Manangoi was banned, no one could stick with Cheruiyot until Jakob grew up. Now Jakob won easily at 5000m last year; he won easily at 1500m the previous year; and he won numerous times on the circuit. He can be beaten when he is ill or doesn't push the pace hard enough, and I don't know whether he'll try to run 3:26--he ran 3:28.32 in 2021--but he has world enough and time to match any miler in titles. El G was just getting started at 22.
OK, I'll bite. If he did the following, I'd consider Ingebrigtsen the GOAT. This is assuming that everyone else runs about as well as they're running now, so for instance no one else breaks 3:26.
World record 1500m: 3:24, with two more 3:25s World record 3000m: 7:17 Sub-12:40 5k
2023: 1500m, 5k World Champ 2024: 1500m, 5k Olympic Champ 2025: 1500m World Champ 2027: 5k World Champ 2028: 5k Olympic Champ
In one of his 1500m wins, he turns the screws from 1000m out and destroys the field, winning by over 1.5 seconds. In one of his 5k wins, he runs 60-62-58-52 to finish off a 12:57 race.
I'm adjusting for the shoe/track/pacer improvements of recent years. Give or take some details, if he does the above, he's the GOAT over Bekele. Anything less, and he's not.
Jakob has far stiffer competition than El G etc. El G only had to beat a handful of Kenyans juicing as hard as he was.
Also, 1500 is more important than 5000. One 1500 Olympic gold is worth two 5000m golds, and three 10000m golds.
He only needs to get close to the 1500/mile WRs as they were obviously the product of full throttle EPO.
He needs to move up in the distances he competes to get that title. I assume after the Olympics he will do 5000m and 10000m for 4 years, then move to 10km and half marathon for a while before doing the rest of his career at marathon distance
He'll never be as accomplished as Bekele.. So many cross world championships.. Ingebrigtsen will never win that. And he will never run as fast on the 5000/10000/marathon either.
OK, I'll bite. If he did the following, I'd consider Ingebrigtsen the GOAT. This is assuming that everyone else runs about as well as they're running now, so for instance no one else breaks 3:26.
World record 1500m: 3:24, with two more 3:25s World record 3000m: 7:17 Sub-12:40 5k
2023: 1500m, 5k World Champ 2024: 1500m, 5k Olympic Champ 2025: 1500m World Champ 2027: 5k World Champ 2028: 5k Olympic Champ
In one of his 1500m wins, he turns the screws from 1000m out and destroys the field, winning by over 1.5 seconds. In one of his 5k wins, he runs 60-62-58-52 to finish off a 12:57 race.
I'm adjusting for the shoe/track/pacer improvements of recent years. Give or take some details, if he does the above, he's the GOAT over Bekele. Anything less, and he's not.
Jakob has far stiffer competition than El G etc. El G only had to beat a handful of Kenyans juicing as hard as he was.
Also, 1500 is more important than 5000. One 1500 Olympic gold is worth two 5000m golds, and three 10000m golds.
He only needs to get close to the 1500/mile WRs as they were obviously the product of full throttle EPO.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen at age 22 European Champs 18 - 2 - 1 World Champs 1 - 3 - 1
Sebastian Coe in career European Champs 2 - 2 - 2 World Champs 0 - 0 - 0
One outdoor WR for JI and he is the greatest European runner in history. To pass Gebrselassie, Bekele and El G he has to be extremely successful for some more years or to win Olympic gold in three events.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen at age 22 European Champs 18 - 2 - 1 World Champs 1 - 3 - 1
Sebastian Coe in career European Champs 2 - 2 - 2 World Champs 0 - 0 - 0
One outdoor WR for JI and he is the greatest European runner in history. To pass Gebrselassie, Bekele and El G he has to be extremely successful for some more years or to win Olympic gold in three events.
Coe had numerous world records - indoors and outdoors. So which outdoor record is Jakob going to take? Actually, which one is he remotely near?
Jakob Ingebrigtsen at age 22 European Champs 18 - 2 - 1 World Champs 1 - 3 - 1
Sebastian Coe in career European Champs 2 - 2 - 2 World Champs 0 - 0 - 0
One outdoor WR for JI and he is the greatest European runner in history. To pass Gebrselassie, Bekele and El G he has to be extremely successful for some more years or to win Olympic gold in three events.
So which outdoor record is Jakob going to take? Actually, which one is he remotely near?
At the moment I think his best chance is the 3000 record. But it's difficult. In the future he might have a shot at the 10000 mark.
He'll never be as accomplished as Bekele.. So many cross world championships.. Ingebrigtsen will never win that. And he will never run as fast on the 5000/10000/marathon either.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why people are rooting against him. He said he had the goal of being the best ever, he didn’t say he already is, or even that he predicts he will be. His motivation is all-time greatness. Shouldn’t it be? That’s great for fans and great for the sport. It means he plans to stick around for a long time and work his ass off and race as many big races as he can. Seriously, we fans are lucky to have Jakob in this era. The rest of the best 1500/5000 guys right now are a bit bland.
He'll never be as accomplished as Bekele.. So many cross world championships.. Ingebrigtsen will never win that. And he will never run as fast on the 5000/10000/marathon either.
For the life of me, I don’t understand why people are rooting against him. He said he had the goal of being the best ever, he didn’t say he already is, or even that he predicts he will be. His motivation is all-time greatness. Shouldn’t it be? That’s great for fans and great for the sport. It means he plans to stick around for a long time and work his ass off and race as many big races as he can. Seriously, we fans are lucky to have Jakob in this era. The rest of the best 1500/5000 guys right now are a bit bland.
BTW, if he manages to win double gold 1500/5000 in Paris and LA and holds the wrs in those events and we throw in a few more wc golds and DL titles, he doesn’t need to run xc or a championship 10 or run a 2:00 marathon to be considered the greatest. Winning and wr in the 1500 is WAY more challenging and valuable in terms of GOAT points.
The “lesson” Ingebrigtsen taught the 5k field is the same one Farah was teaching for the last decade. There is very little you can do against a sub 3:30, sub 12:50 man in a global final short of running a world record. I’m amazed that someone who “really isn’t that good at 5000m” could so easily dispatch the eventual Olympic gold and silver medalists in a 12:48 race.
It was hilarious when the commentator prior to the Eugene 5000 said something like 7 or 8 men had a chance to win. I nearly fell over in a seizure of laughter. Somehow the track world had been brainwashed into believing those time trial goofs were anywhere near Jakob's caliber.
It's just too bad he wasn't taking sips while crossing the finish line.