Why ‘that moron’ Josh Kerr ends 2024 with the bragging rights over Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Why ‘that moron’ Josh Kerr ends 2024 with the bragging rights over Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Joel Omotto 15:00 - 01.10.2024

Jakob Ingebrigtsen has escalated his war of words with Josh Kerr by calling him a ‘moron’ in a recently released documentary but the Briton ends the season with the bragging rights.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen reignited his feud with Josh Kerr when he described him as a ‘moron’ in a new documentary series.

Ingebrigtsen has been engaged in a war of words with his bitter rival Kerr all season but the latest salvo will heighten the tension.

In the latest “Born to Run” documentary released by Amazon, Ingebrigtsen does not mince his words about British rival Kerr.

"The problem with the rivalry is that it's not created by the media. It's only been created by that moron because he began trash-talking me,” the Norwegian said in the documentary.

The two have not seen eye to eye since the 2023 World Championships when Kerr stunned Ingebrigtsen to win gold with the Norwegian later claiming he was sick and could have beaten the Briton “blindfolded” had he been in good health.

Kerr responded by calling Ingebrigtsen “just the next guy” while terming him a man surrounded by “yes men.”

He would later warn his rival to embrace his weaknesses or he would not win the 1,500m gold at the Olympics.

But as the feud escalates, who has had the bragging rights on the track between the two?

Ingebrigtsen and Kerr have faced off three times this season and on all occasions, the Norwegian has not been the winner.

Their first meeting of the season happened in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene in May, which Kerr won in a new British record time of 3:45.34, ahead of Ingebrigtsen (3:45.60) and American Yared Nuguse (3:46.22).

They would not meet again until the Paris Olympics in what was billed a “race for the ages” as Ingebrigtsen wanted to avenge the loss in Eugene as well as the 2023 World Championships.

As it turned out, the Norwegian had a race to forget as he finished outside the medal positions to the shock of many.

In the Olympics 1,500m final, American Cole Hocker was the unexpected winner as Kerr finished second to take home silver with Nuguse finishing third for bronze.

Ingebrigtsen uncharacteristically finished fourth after he had led for nearly the entire race at a fast pace before running out of gas when it mattered most.

It was the second straight race in which Kerr had gotten the better of Ingebrigtsen and by many accounts, claimed the bragging rights in 2024, even if the Norwegian had success in other events, notably Diamond League and 5,000m gold at the Olympics.

Ingebrigtsen’s only moment of pride over Kerr came at the Zurich Diamond League in early September where he finished second behind Nuguse as his rival finished fifth.

So, as the rivalry escalates heading into 2025, “that moron” Kerr has the bragging rights, at least for now.

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