Ingebrigtsen wins first track race in nearly a year with 5,000m title at Euro championships

Jakob Ingebrigtsen showed plenty of kick on his comeback from injury by winning his fourth consecutive 5,000-metre title at the European championships Monday in Birmingham, England.

The two-time Olympic champion from Norway hadn't raced since having surgery early this year to clean up scar tissue on the protective sheath around his left Achilles tendon.

"I doubted myself every day coming in to this and every minute leading up ​to the last lap today, but I'm always hoping to do my best," ⁠said Ingebrigtsen, who finished ⁠a humbling 10th in his last race at ‌the world championships in Tokyo last year.

"Coming from the lowest of lows to be European champion again means the world to me. Not even I believed it could happen coming here. Only with 600 metres to go, I knew I would win."

With less than 100 metres to the finish, Ingebrigtsen was in third place before accelerating to the front and passing Florian Bremm of Germany in the final 50 to cross the line in 13 minutes 15:29 seconds. Bremm was second, followed by France's Etienne Daguinos.

"When Jakob ⁠went ⁠in front I knew I ​couldn't stay with him. He's a legend of our sport. We knew if he's ​here tonight it was ⁠because he is in good shape. He's so strong. He showed that tonight," said Daguinos. "I am so proud to share a podium with him."

Ingebrigtsen is not racing in the 1,500 in Birmingham. He's won both the 1,500 and 5,000 at the past three European championships.

2-time Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen has Achilles surgery

The Achilles problem seemed to be a factor in Ingebrigtsen's performance at last September's world championships in Tokyo, where he failed to advance out of the first round of the 1,500 and finished 10th in the 5,000 final.

Ingebrigtsen's seventh