Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen will aim to win another 1500m and 5000m double when he defends his titles at the European Athletics Championships Munich 2022 from 15-21 August.
Read more: When is the European Championships Munich 2022 and how to watch?
The 21-year-old won the gold medals in the event as a 17-year-old at the Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships and many are backing him to repeat that accomplishment as he targets more global titles in 2022.
Ingebrigtsen won the Olympic 1500m in Tokyo last summer, but had to settle for the silver medal in the event at the World Athletics Championships 2022 in Oregon, last month –surprisingly beaten by Great Britain’s Jake Wightman.
He returned five days later to win the 5000m comfortably, noting that the goal then was to run a more tactical race than trying to run a fast time.
“I just wanted to win,” Ingebrigtsen told reporters. “I just wanted to win by as much as possible.
“I didn’t want a sprint finish because then some people would have said that it was a coincidence, it was a tactical race.”
Wightman’s decision to drop down to compete in the 800m and Olympic bronze medallist Josh Kerr not contesting the event, opened a more precise path for Ingebrigtsen to retain his European title.
Great Britain’s Jake Heyward (3:31.08), Neil Gourley (3:32.93) and Matthew Stonier (3:32.50) are among the leading medal contenders and I am expecting at least two of the trio to push the Olympic champion.
Spain’s Mario García, who ran a 3:30.20 personal best to finish fourth at the World Athletics Championships 2022, is also another very strong medal contender, along with teammates Ignacio Fontes, a finalist at Oregon22 and Gonzalo García.
In the 5000m at the European Athletics Championships Munich 2022, Ingebrigtsen will be up against Mohamed Mohumed of Germany and Sam Atkin of Great Britain who both featured at the world championships last month, but didn’t make progress beyond the heats.
For more information click here
