Jakob Ingebrigtsen showcased his remarkable comeback from injury by clinching his fourth consecutive 5,000-meter title at the European championships held in Birmingham, England. The Norwegian, a two-time Olympic champion, had been sidelined following surgery earlier in the year to address scar tissue around his left Achilles tendon.
During the race, Ingebrigtsen surged from third place in the final stretch, exhibiting a burst of speed in the last 50 meters to overtake Florian Bremm of Germany, finishing in a time of 13 minutes and 15.29 seconds. Bremm secured second place, with France’s Etienne Daguinos finishing third.
Expressing his emotions after the win, Ingebrigtsen stated, “Coming back from a difficult period to reclaim the European title is incredibly meaningful to me. I had doubts until the final 600 meters, but then I felt confident about my victory.” His competitors praised his exceptional performance, with Daguinos hailing him as “a legend of our sport,” while Bremm acknowledged Ingebrigtsen’s unmatched speed even after his injury.
Despite his triumph in the 5,000 meters, Ingebrigtsen opted out of the 1,500-meter event at the championships. His previous Achilles injury had impacted his performance at the world championships in Tokyo last year. With this latest victory, Ingebrigtsen further solidified his status as the most successful male athlete in the history of the European championships.
In a separate event, Amy Hunt of Britain claimed victory in the women’s 100 meters, clocking 11 seconds to narrowly defeat Poland’s Ewa Swoboda and Delphine Nkansa of Belgium. Jessica Schilder of the Netherlands secured her third consecutive shot put gold, throwing 20.73 meters at Alexander Stadium. Schilder, a reigning world champion, expressed her delight at winning despite battling an injured finger during the competition.