Josh Kerr vs Jakob Ingebrigtsen: 8 bombshell clashes as bitter rivals face off again
Athletics may be seen as a gentleman's sport, but there's nothing gentlemanly about the ongoing feud between middle-distance runners Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.
The pair are currently the two dominant forces in the 1500m men's event, having claimed three Olympic medals between them across the last two editions of the Games. Team GB's Kerr had to settle for bronze in Tokyo 2020 while the Norwegian won gold, before the Scot went one on to earn silver in Paris last month.
Since 2016, they have consistently faced each other but the tension has become palpable in the past year as the fierce competitors repeatedly traded digs in the media. Unsurprisingly, all eyes were drawn to the pair as they faced off in the men's final at the 2024 Olympics - but neither ended up with the result they wanted.
Having had almost a month to recover, the hostilities are set to ramp up again when they meet again at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday. Now The Daily Record looks to shed light on the titanic rivalry by bringing you the biggest flashpoints of the past year.
Although they have competed against each other for years, their actual rivalry appears to have begun on August 23, 2003, after Kerr claimed a shock win over Ingebrigtsen at the 2023 World Championship 1500m final in Budapest, Hungary.
Refusing to acknowledge his rival's better performance, Ingebrigtsen attributed his loss to feeling under the weather. He said: "Unfortunately, I didn't feel 100%. I felt that after 500m my legs were not feeling as smooth as I would like them to be. Obviously, not the best run of the day."
Kerr wasn't impressed with Ingebrigtsen's lack of sportsmanship, claiming the Norwegian's showboating in the semi-final was a sign of "insecurity". He