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- Jakob Ingebrigtsen comes from a family of famed runners—including brothers Filip and Henrik—but in the last year, he has emerged as perhaps the fastest of the three stars.
- At the 2018 European Championships, Ingebrigtsen became the first man to achieve the 1500-5,000-meter title sweep.
- In February of 2019, Ingebrigtsen broke the junior world record in the 1500 meters.
The youngest of the famed running brothers from Norway, Jakob Ingebrigtsen is well on his way to becoming one of the best middle distance runners of his generation.
At just 18 years old, Ingebrigtsen has already earned two European championship gold medals, six national titles, and four IAAF World U20 Championship medals. He is also the newly crowned under-20 world record-holder in the indoor 1500 meters, an exciting showdown where he beat fellow teen phenom and world record-holder Samuel Tefera of Ethiopia.
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Growing up in a family of acclaimed runners
Born on September 19, 2000, Ingebrigtsen was brought up in a family of historic running talent. His father Gjert coaches Ingebrigtsen and his older brothers Filip, 25, and Henrik, 27, who have both established their own impressive track careers. Filip earned a bronze medal in the at the 2017 IAAF World Championships, and Henrik was the in the 1500 meters. In the same year, he finished fifth in the London Olympic final.
The Ingebrigtsen family also includes a sister, 11-year-old Ingrid, who seems to have already emerged as a . The family’s athletic accomplishments have even earned them celebrity status in their native country. Norwegian network NRK produced two seasons of a documentary series titled
While the older siblings share more championship experience, Ingebrigtsen has emerged as the fastest of the three in the last year. At the 2018 European Championships last summer in Berlin, the teenager shocked the track world with two titles at the age of 17.
International success on the track
On August 10, Ingebrigtsen dethroned his own brother Filip as the champion over 1500 meters with a time of 3:38.10. The next day, he returned to of 13:17.06. In the process, he beat his brother Henrik by one second. Before Ingebrigtsen attempted the feat, no runner in history had ever managed to complete the 1500-5,000-meter title sweep there. Not only did Ingebrigtsen manage to make history by winning both crowns, he did it as .
The 1500-meter title marked the third European gold medal brought home for Norway by the Ingebrigtsen brothers. And the youngest sibling was proud to represent his family’s legacy on the track.
“I’m really happy to bring home what’s ours,” he told European Athletics after the victory in Berlin.
A few weeks prior to the 2018 European Championships, Ingebrigtsen set the world under-20 leading time in the 1500 meters at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, where he finished fourth overall in 3:31.18. At the Prefontaine Classic in May 2018, Ingebrigtsen clocked 3:52.28 in the mile, the , according to the IAAF. The performance built on his breakthrough 2017 race at the same meet, where he became the in history. He was 16 years old at the time he ran 3:58.07 at the 2017 Prefontaine Classic.
Ingebrigtsen’s promising track career gained even more momentum on February 20 at the , where he became the fastest teenage 1500-meter runner in indoor track history. Facing off against world indoor champion Tefera, 19, the Norwegian won the 1500 meters in a new under-20 world record time of 3:36.02, soundly beating Tefera, who owns the world record (3:31.04) in the event.
At the blistering pace that Ingebrigtsen is currently running, the teenager could be a strong podium contender at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and future championships to come.
Contributing Writer Taylor Dutch is a freelance writer living in Chicago.