Diamond League rule keeps Jakob Ingebrigtsen out of final
The Zürich Diamond League turned away the top-ranked distance runner because he hasn’t competed all season
Kevin Morris
After a nagging Achilles injury kept Norwegian distance-running superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen out of competition all summer, the 24-year-old is targeting a return at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. With the championships three weeks away, Ingebrigtsen planned to shake off the rust at the Diamond League level beforehand, but there’s a rule keeping him sidelined.
Ingebrigtsen has not raced since winning double gold at the 2025 World Indoor Championships in late March. His team initially expected him back by June, but setbacks in his recovery pushed that timeline back. With only one Diamond League meet left this season, the Weltklasse Zürich on Aug. 27–28 would have been his final chance to test himself against elite competition before Worlds.
This year’s Weltklasse will serve as the Diamond League final, the 15th and last stop of the series. Winners of the 32 disciplines will take home between US$30,000 and $50,000. Unlike other meets, however, entry to the final is based strictly on points athletes earn throughout the season. Much like with the NBA or NHL playoffs, only those who have accumulated enough points in the season (from earlier races) qualify for a spot.
Since Ingebrigtsen has not competed in any Diamond League races this year, he is ineligible. According to Norwegian outlet VG, his team appealed to organizers for a place in the men’s 1,500m field, but their request was denied.
Ingebrigtsen has won the Diamond League final trophy in the men’s 1,500m event for the last three years. “He would have liked to participate, but the regulations did not allow it, unfortunately,” said Espen Skoland, the press adviser for the Ingebrigtsen family.
The rule that blocked Ingebrigtsen states that athletes must have competed in at least one Diamond League meet during the season to be eligible for a wild card to the final. Ironically, that technicality is enough to sideline the current world No. 1 in the men’s 1,500m.
“We very much wanted Jakob to be part of Weltklasse Zürich 2025 and submitted an application for a wild card for him. Unfortunately, our application was not approved by the board of directors of the Diamond League (hosted by World Athletics). The rules of the Diamond League are clear,” added Elisabeth Walden, press manager for the Weltklasse Zürich, in a statement to VG.
Organizers added that they must enforce the rules equally to all athletes–no matter if you’re ranked #1 in the world or #300–but said they look forward to welcoming Ingebrigtsen back at a future edition of Weltklasse Zürich.
