Paris Olympics champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen criticised his rivals after finishing fourth in the Diamond League final in Brussels on Friday, describing his competitors as “a bunch of cowards” in a fiery post-race interview.
Ingebrigtsen appeared to be on track for victory for much of the men’s 1500m final, but faded in the closing stages as Australia’s Cameron Myers produced a perfectly timed surge to secure the Diamond League title.
Myers won the tightly fought race in 3:30.14, narrowly beating Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech by four hundredths of a second. American Ethan Strand took third in 3:30.50, while Ingebrigtsen finished just two hundredths behind in fourth with 3:30.52.
The result added to a challenging period for Ingebrigtsen, who is still returning to competition after undergoing Achilles surgery in February. The Norwegian controlled much of the race and looked capable of claiming a confidence-boosting win, but was unable to resist the late charge from his rivals over the final 30 metres.
Myers, meanwhile, remained patient before making his move along the home straight.
“I’m pretty relieved to be honest! It’s nice to get a win, I’m super pumped,” Myers said after the race.
“I was feeling good. I contemplated making a move on the back straight but I didn’t really need to, so I just waited as long as possible and a gap opened up and I was able to take it.”
INGEBRIGSTEN LASHES OUT AFTER RACE
While Myers celebrated a major victory, Ingebrigtsen was visibly frustrated by how the race played out.
“They want to run in a queue and hide themselves tonight, so that is what it is. I'm not a hider myself,” Ingebrigtsen said.
“The pacer did a pretty bad job, unfortunately, pulling me off the Wavelight and off the pace. I didn't necessarily want to find myself in that position.”
The Norwegian then criticised the pacemaking tactics involving American Cole Hocker, who finished eighth in 3:30.80.
“Cole, he got the pacemaker changed and swapped to his own teammate on behalf of a French pacer. Everybody thought he was forcing himself to follow the pacemaker, but that was just a trick. He fooled all of us. He decided to hide behind everyone else,” Ingebrigtsen said.
He was particularly unhappy with the tactics used by his opponents, explaining that he had hoped to race at a different pace and did not believe he was physically strong enough to handle the way the contest ultimately developed.
'BUNCH OF COWARDS'
Ingebrigtsen’s frustration intensified when he spoke to reporters in the mixed zone.
“I’m very disappointed in the race and the result, I’m racing against a bunch of cowards. That is what it is,” he said.
“It’s only Cameron [Myers] that’s a good racer, everyone else looked like losers, me included.”
He once again highlighted the pacemaking decision involving Hocker and Christian Jackson, who trains with the American.
“We’re trying to win but with Cole, the pacemaker was swapped out for his own teammate. So from now on he is in no position to make any changes or decisions in the 1500m because he fooled us in terms of following the pace,” Ingebrigtsen said.
“Maybe he was sick or injured, or he didn’t have a good day at all.”
For Myers, the victory was another milestone in his impressive rise in the 1500m. The 20-year-old had already broken the Australian national record at the Paris Diamond League in June and now adds a Diamond League final title to his achievements.
“It’s pretty cool memorabilia to have a trophy like that,” Myers said about his victory.
Ingebrigtsen, meanwhile, will leave Brussels with plenty to improve on as he continues his comeback from surgery. Although the Olympic champion missed out on the title, his outspoken post-race comments made the 1500m final one of the main talking points from the opening night of the Diamond League final.
