After failing to secure the title at the Diamond League final, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the Beijing Olympic champion, sharply criticized his competitors. In the men's 1500 meters race held in Brussels on Friday (September 4th), the Norwegian Ingebrigtsen finished in fourth place.
The victory in the race went to Australian Cameron Myers, who overtook Ingebrigtsen by only 0.02 seconds, leaving him mere centimeters from the podium. Myers finished with a time of 3:30.14. Fanuel Kipkoeghe Koesh from Kenya took second place with a time of 3:30.18, and Ethan Strand from America secured third place with a time of 3:30.50. Ingebrigtsen himself covered the distance in 3:30.52.
In the initial and middle stages of the race, Ingebrigtsen maintained a controlled pace, appearing to be the favorite for a long time. However, shortly before the finish line, his speed decreased. It was at this moment that Myers, having conserved energy, launched an attack. The twenty-year-old Australian runner accelerated in the final meters, overtaking Ingebrigtsen and other contenders to win the Diamond League Final title.
Disappointed with the result, Ingebrigtsen criticized the race tactics. He stated that many competitors, instead of setting their own pace, stayed behind other runners, conserving energy. Furthermore, he expressed dissatisfaction with the role of the pacemaker, noting that it took him off the speed he wanted to maintain. In his opinion, the race environment did not suit his preferences.
Ingebrigtsen also mentioned the strategy of American runner Cole Hooker, who finished in eighth place with a time of 3:30.80. According to Ingebrigtsen, the change of pacemaker altered the race tactics, leading to confusion among many athletes. He argued that the pacing decisions related to Hooker affected the other participants as well.
Ingebrigtsen admitted to being deeply disappointed with both the result and the race itself, stating: 'I ran against a pack of cowards. That's what it is. Only Cameron is a good runner; the rest look like losers, including me.' Nevertheless, he also acknowledged that he was not in his best physical condition.