Ingebrigtsen completes distance double with 1500m gold in Nanjing

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, at long last, has a world title over 1500m.

One day after earning his first world indoor title by taking 3000m gold, the Norwegian completed the distance double in Nanjing by winning the 1500m, becoming just the second man in history to win two gold medals at the same World Indoors, following in the footsteps of Haile Gebrselassie who achieved the 1500m/3000m double in 1999.

The 24-year-old controlled the pace and held off his challengers to take the title in 3:38.79. Britain's Neil Gourley came through to take silver in 3:39.07 ahead of surprise bronze medallist Luke Houser of the USA.

The two-time world champion over 5000m had already made headlines earlier in the season by breaking the world indoor mile and 1500m records in Liévin.

Eager to claim a long-awaited world gold in the 1500m after missing out at the 2022 World Indoors, and at the past three editions of the outdoor World Championships, the multiple world record-holder adopted a slightly different strategy. Instead of his usual position at the back of the pack, he started three spots from the rear.

With six laps remaining, Ingebrigtsen moved to the middle of the field before taking the lead with about four laps to go. Sweden’s Samuel Pihlstrom, running on the outside, attempted to overtake the two-time Olympic champion but lost ground as Ingebrigtsen maintained his commanding position to become the first man in this century to win the 1500m/3000m double at the World Indoors.

Behind the six-time European gold medallist, a battle for the remaining podium spots unfolded. Great Britain’s Neil Gourley held close but was overtaken by Portugal’s Isaac Nader, who surged into second place as the bell rang. Ingebrigtsen responded by shifting gears, accelerating smoothly to extend his lead. Gourley and USA’s Luke Houser stayed consistent, securing silver and bronze, while Nader finished just outside the podium in fourth with a time of 3:39.58.

“Of course this is something special,” said Ingebrigtsen. “It's very difficult to compare yourself against history and what others are doing. I'm only focusing on myself. I think I can do more, so I'll try to maximise that and grab the opportunity given to me. The goal is to participate as much as I can. It's definitely important to use the opportunities and not take anything for granted.”

Gourley who narrowly missed out on a podium placement at the European indoors, was pleased with his silver medal.

“I'm really happy with this”, he said. “I came here to right some of the wrongs of a couple of weeks ago at the Europeans, where I feel like I didn't compete or represent myself too well. This week in Nanjing, I just really felt like myself. I had a game plan, which was to stay at the back of the race until it started moving. I waited for the big move and then committed to that move. And it worked.”

Winning a medal at his first World Indoors was a dream come true for Houser.

“I came into this race, stepping on the line, I knew I could I could get a medal,” he said. “I knew I was capable of doing it, but actually going out there and doing it is a whole different thing. I’m just so happy I could get that done. It's a dream come true to be out there competing with the world's best.”

Yemi Galadima for World Athletics