Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen to conflict at London Diamond League

In a a lot anticipated head-to-head, a number of Olympic, world and European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will line up in opposition to world champion and Olympic silver medallist Josh Kerr over 1500m on the London Athletics Meet on July 19.

This would be the first time the pair race one another on British soil. Ingebrigtsen’s final 1500m race within the UK was in 2021 on the Gateshead Diamond League, making this a long-awaited return for the Norwegian star.

Kerr, the reigning world champion, famously upset Ingebrigtsen in Budapest in 2023, including to his Olympic bronze from 2021.

Olympic 1500m last (Getty)

That victory kicked off a stellar 12-month run for the Scot, which included a world indoor 3000m title in Glasgow, Olympic silver in Paris, a British 1500m document (3:27.79), a world finest for 2 miles indoors (8:00.67), and a British mile document (3:45.34).

“I’ve by no means shied away from the truth that I’m making an attempt to be the most effective 1500m runner of our period, and meaning profitable extra titles and operating sooner instances than everybody else,” stated Kerr.

“None of it comes simple and we’re all working exhausting to attain our objectives. For me, that features racing a bit extra this summer time, however my objective for the yr is straightforward; I need to defend my world title in Tokyo and every part I do between every now and then, together with lining up on the London Athletics Meet, is targeted on reaching that objective.”

Josh Kerr wins world indoor gold

Ingebrigtsen, nonetheless, stays one of the crucial embellished athletes within the sport. The 24-year-old boasts an unimaginable 13 European monitor titles (indoor and out of doors), and most lately claimed double gold within the 1500m and 3000m on the World Athletics Indoor Championships in China. He additionally holds a number of world information, together with the indoor 1500m (3:29.63), indoor mile (3:45.14), 2000m (4:43.13), and 3000m (7:17.55), together with the quickest time ever recorded over two miles (7:54.10). His 3:26.73 over 1500m stands because the European document and the fourth-fastest in historical past.

Whereas Ingebrigtsen has typically bounced again from defeats with emphatic wins — together with 5000m world titles following 1500m losses to Jake Wightman in 2022 and Kerr in 2023 — the rivalry with Kerr is shortly turning into certainly one of monitor and discipline’s most compelling storylines. Notably, Kerr additionally completed forward of Ingebrigtsen on the Paris Olympics, taking silver because the Norwegian got here in fourth.

Ingebrigtsen stated: “I like to race, and the London Diamond League is an ideal match for my schedule. I’ve recovered effectively from the indoors and coaching goes effectively. I’ve by no means been afraid to indicate up and it felt good to return away from the World and European Indoor Championships with 4 gold medals.

“My focus is now on the summer time and returning to Tokyo – the place I gained my Olympic title in 2021 – to win world gold. Competing in London is a vital a part of my construct, and I do know the environment shall be unimaginable.”

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)

The London Athletics Meet – the world’s largest one-day athletics occasion – is the eleventh assembly of the 2025 Wanda Diamond League. The sequence pays out a document whole of $9.24 million in prize cash and includes of 15 occasions throughout 4 totally different continents, beginning with Xiamen on April 26 and concluding with a single last throughout two days in Zurich (August 27-28).

Cherry Alexander OBE, Strategic Lead for Occasions at UK Athletics stated: “The London Athletics Meet has a confirmed document of delivering a monitor and discipline spectacle for followers that options world-class performances from the perfect athletes throughout the globe going face to face and this yr’s occasion shall be no totally different.

“It’s unimaginable that we have now bought over 50,000 tickets already and are effectively on monitor for one more sellout London Diamond League occasion, proving that the British public can not get sufficient of reside athletics on this nation. With the UK Athletics Championships heading again to Alexander Stadium in Birmingham, it will be an epic summer time for athletics followers within the UK.”

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