Jakob on whether he wants revenge on Kerr: "Ha, no. He was just the next guy. That's how I view the race".

I’m a big Jakob fan and hope to see him break more WRs and win championships.

However, I think this is one area where not having a coach hurts him. I feel like any coach in the world would sit him down after that race and say, look, you’re clearly the fastest guy in the world, but you’re opening the door to your competitors with poor tactics/slow starts. You need to have more respect for competitors during the race, if not in post race interviews, and change your tactics accordingly (like El G did in 2001-2004).

He doesn’t really have anyone telling him that and it seems he’s not taking away any lessons from this defeat.

Perhaps that's what his dad was doing and he didn't want to listen. He's a big boy now. I think what this attitude also does is place a giant target on his back. Could you imagine how awesome it must have felt for Kerr to mow him down? He's feeding these guys endless motivation to train harder and go after him. That's just stupid if your goal is to be the GOAT. Everyone could see the humiliation on his face after that loss, but he's the architect of it. Respect your opponents.

Well, I wasn’t there, just watching on TV, but he was off. I would believe him. He’s always struck me as being very honest. I do think it’s fair to criticize him for mentioning he was sick EVEN if true. There are some great champions in other sports who wouldn’t say they were ill even if true for some of the reasons you mention. That’s a very noble and high standard, and I think a person of Jakob’s stature could be criticized for even appearing to make an excuse and undermine the competition. He’s a great athlete, but he’s not perfect.

Illness with 3:29:60? you need to weak up from your sleep.

Call this low fitness end season I can understand.

Stop Godfying Jakob.

Yeah a 3:29 is just not reconciliable with illness. It's a time that makes sense for him to run after rounds, leading without a rabbit and in the heat. The times the others ran also make sense with him pacing. There was no illness.

Totally agree. In what world is running only two seconds off your rabbited-race PR in a non-rabbited race being at 88% (which is the number Jakob assigned himself). I don’t doubt he had a scratchy throat. But the times don’t match up at all. Instead, two seconds slower than your PR lines up with how much harder it is to rabbit the race yourself from early in the race to the last 100 or so.

How did he downplay Kerr's win? He literally said he wasn't the best on the day of the race. How is that different from what any other athlete does? What did you want him to do?

That must reassure a lot of second place-getters.

Did you watch the video? He literally scoffed at the idea of a Kerr rematch. And then proceeded to say Kerr won only because Jakob "fell", likening his illness to him falling in the race.

He can come across as that,but i think soon his injuries will catch up with him,and he'll no longer win anything.He claims he has injured groin,and pelvis,yet he keeps running through that.Pelvic injury means that one day he wont be able to run fast.He was apparently sick,but he kept running,and yes he won,and ran flat out,but who knows what long term damage that will do? hes young,and very reckless.

This. Also his performance this year was superior to his performance last year. He closed a 3:29 race in 53 this year versus 55 last year (when he wasn’t sick).

I get he’s in better shape this year (3:27) but then it clearly doesn’t make sense if he’s only at 88% and is still better than last year when he was in 3:28 shape.

Perhaps you should consider that he is one level up this year (his 2 mile WB and more than 1 sec improvement in the 1500m).

+1

I was just about the write something similar when I saw your post.

I think last year Jakob implied Kerr was immature in an interview during the champs

Narcissists can be extremely delusional. When they lose, they make up reasons why they really won.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

if you're always sick or hurt, that's who you are

Jon Gault asked Kerr about the "next guy" comments at today's presser in Zurich (article coming soon).

The Kenyan press then saw it and side Kerr is reacting maturely to the disrespect. Well to some degree. But he also is putting out meme's mocking him.

pulsesports.co.ke

World champion Josh Kerr maturely reacts to Jakob Ingebrigtsen's disrespectful comment

Pulse Sports

The Scottish middle-distance runner has fired back with fierce words following Jakob Ingebrigtsen's controversial remarks.

Open link

He did take the losss like a man. I hate the fake news about this. I read where Kyle Merber wrote "Rather than admitting defeat and congratulating his opponent on a well-deserved victory, Ingebrigtsen cited illness." That's not what happened. What Kyle wrote is simply false but he was barely in the mixed zone soo it wouldn't shock me that he doesn't know how it went down.

The very first thing Jakob did when meeting with the English media was congratulate Kerr.

People need to actually listen to what was said and get in the mixed zone.

Please listen to the first minute of this:

"All credit to Kerr. He did a good race, but I feel a little bit unlucky for being in this position"

What do people want him to do? Lie about being sick?

What do you expect? Citius mag took the opportunity and are now spinning a highly profitable narrative.