What do you think - Is Ingebrigtsen trying to get in Kerr's head or just speaking candidly? I think it's the latter

Rivalry like river current: two banks, same water. Words ripple surface, depths unchanging.

Jakob, Josh, both seek victory. One tongue sharp, one heart quick.

True warrior knows words mere wind. Still, wind can fan flame, stoke spirit.

Perhaps Jakob's words first from honest heart, later sharpened by challenge.

Does it matter? River still flows, banks still stand. Race decides, not words.

Wise coach understands this. Words like spice, flavor contest but not change outcome.

Let them talk, let them boast. True strength revealed on track, not tongue.

As running is mental game, as fragile mind make bad runner, as strong mind make fast time

Inge will win this one, because there isn't a gold medal on the line. Different story come Paris.

Jakob has a fragile ego. He NEEDS to win every race or he is nothing in his own mind. Therefore, he makes excuses when he does not win so he does not feel completely worthless. He comes off as a jerk or overconfident, but it is really an inferiority complex.

He is a great runner, no denying it. But he needes to realize that he can't win every race and being 2nd in the world is a hell of an accomplishment. Otherwise he will have little joy in his life. Visually, he does not seem happy.

Well, taking Jakob's quote in isolation, he's clearly not giving Kerr his due. Kerr beat him. It's not like Jakob tripped and fell and Kerr just happened to be in second. I mean, both of those guys have healthy egos so it's just back and forth. There's no direct trash talk with Jakob and Wightman. Or any other runner. He and Kerr have a beef. The thing is, if Jakob loses to Kerr again at the Olympics he won't be able to pretend anymore. He'll have to give Kerr his due. Jakob essentially has to win the Olympics to maintain his position of superiority. If he loses to Kerr or anyone else he'll now have lost three consecutive championships. Hard to keep claiming you're the best when you lose the biggest race of the year 3 times in a row.

So we know who is under the most pressure.

This is a great post

He’s Norwegian. They just plainly speak their mind without any regard to feelings or filter. It’s cultural.

Prerace talk couldn’t be more meaningless. The only thing that that matters are the races, and whoever wins in Paris will have bragging rights for the next 4 years after that.

so, it's a cultural thing to be an a$$hole in Norway?

How was he being an a$$hole? He is just trying to get in Kerr's head, it throws Kerr off so he achieved the goal.

Jakob is just a no-nonsense type of bloke. He doesn't sit around hand wringing whilst coming up with his next quip. I think he just gives honest answers to honest questions. He might do so with a little flavor to his speech, but it comes from a place of genuinity.

He is not PC. Josh Kerr is PC when he doesn’t win or makes a questionable decision (like skipping last years Pre). 2022, when Kerr was unmotivated, on a poor diet and struggling he basically said nothing. When he finally had a decent couple prelims, he finally said something interesting in saying that Jakob didn’t want a slow final. Before and after his distant 5th place it was a lot of unspecific, vague stuff about needing to be better. We find it jarring that an athlete might give their honest view on anything especially when they are not on top. But that’s because we have grown to value the fake-humble PC stuff you get from athletes. Jakob will never be fake-humble.

If you like cartoon speech.

Kerr doesn't look very thrown off. He looks pretty confident.

That's one way of describing a blow-hard who puts down his competitors and comes up with excuses when he loses to them.

That's what Norwegians say about Americans after they've heard Trump.

This is better English than authentic broken English expected of a wiseass Chinese person.

Show me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser.