European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen produced another barnstorming run to win the men’s 5000m at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest.
The Paris Olympic champion kept a low profile in the middle of the pack before storming around the outside to surge clear in the closing 100m.
American Parker Wolfe came to the front at the bell but was unable to prevent Ingebrigtsen powering away to a comprehensive victory, winning in 12:59.24. Cole Hocker was second in 13:00.05 and Wolfe clung on for third in 13:00.13.
“Easy work,” Ingebrigtsen said afterwards with a grin, before collecting the trophy at the brand-new event – along with a winner’s cheque for $150,000, which all individual champions will receive.
The Norwegian – frighteningly for his rivals – is still not at 100% fitness as he continues his comeback from an Achilles injury which required surgery in February.
He said: “It’s amazing, haven’t had that big of a season, really not too many weeks ago agreed with my team that 2026 is far gone. But then it started to get a little bit better and there was a lot of hope, eventually I got momentum going. I think I’ve had a lot to gain from the races that I’ve had, felt a little bit smoother every race and every session. Going through these injuries you fear the worst, so it’s truly amazing and I’m very happy.”
The 5000m is something of a warm-up event for the 1500m on Sunday night, which will see hostilities resume between rivals Ingebrigtsen and Hocker as well as Commonwealth Games champion and new mile world record holder Josh Kerr.
Ingebrigtsen clashed again with Hocker a week after the Norwegian called his opponents “cowards” and “losers” for their performances in the Diamond League Final.
The American installed his own pacemaker only to hang back as the race began, with Ingebrigtsen frustrated at having to front-run before fading to fourth.
He later apologised for his comments but doubled down on the sentiment. He explained: “They told the other athletes and the organisers that they were targeting a specific pace and were bringing in their own pacemaker to set that pace, but then they did something completely different.
“When you promise the crowd a fast race, you have a responsibility to follow through – at least in my view. This isn’t about me losing. I wasn’t good enough. It’s about taking responsibility for the commitments you’ve made to the meeting organisers, the crowd and your competitors.”
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