Kerr thus took silver, splitting Hocker and another American – Yared Nuguse – who finished third. Ingebrigtsen was well back in fourth. It was a result which shocked the whole athletics world, given Ingebrigtsen’s status as arguably the biggest middle-distance star of the moment.
After the race, Ingebrigtsen left the track quickly while Kerr congratulated Hocker warmly. The defending champion, Ingebrigtsen usually sits at the back of the field, but here he set a fast pace from the off, hoping to shake off Kerr before the Scot could trigger his speedy sprint finish.
The tactic backfired when Ingrebrigtsen – the 23-year-old from Norway – began to run out of gas with around 300 metres to go. His pain was all too obvious when he began to look over his shoulder at Kerr, who had moved to within striking distance.
“It didn’t go according to plan,” Ingebrigtsen told the BBC. “I felt very strong the first couple of laps. I had difficulty telling the pace because it was quite fast. It was difficult to slow down and reduce myself. I saw I was getting a gap so kept pushing. But it was 100 metres too long today. The guys who finished in front of me did a great race. I felt strong. It wasn’t the result I wanted but yeah.”
“Of course, it’s not what I was hoping for. I can only blame myself. It’s not as fun if I’m not able to get the results I want.”
