Jakob Ingebrigtsen calls defending his Olympic title “a walk in the park”

Although he has not competed in nine months and lost his last two major championship races, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen is confident that defending his Olympic 1,500m title in Paris won’t be a problem, as long as he isn’t injured or sick.

In an interview with the European Athletics Ignite podcast, Ingebrigtsen did not hold back. “If I don’t get injured or sick, I think it’s going to be a walk in the park,” he said, regarding the prospect of defending his title.

"If I don't get injured or sick, I think it's going to be a walk in the park."

Jakob Ingebrigtsen on the prospect of defending his Olympic 1500m title in Paris. 👀

Listen to the full episode on all major podcast platforms! 🎧

— European Athletics (@EuroAthletics) May 2, 2024

Last year, Ingebrigtsen won seven of his eight 1,500m/mile races, losing only to Great Britain’s Josh Kerr in the final at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. This was the second consecutive year he took silver, not gold, in a world championship 1,500m final, after also losing to Great Britain’s Jake Wightman in 2022.

Ingebrigtsen told media after his loss in Budapest that he had a sore throat in the days leading up to the men’s 1,500m final, and while he thought he had recovered enough to win, he wasn’t at 100 per cent. Ingebrigtsen did not give Kerr any credit, calling him “just the next guy,” as if his win was a fluke.

The 23-year-old Norwegian, who has yet to start his 2024 season, due to an Achilles injury he suffered last fall, is currently training to make his debut at the Prefontaine Classic scheduled for May 25, where he will have the opportunity for a rematch against Kerr.