by Perri Williams
Ever since Josh Kerr beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the World Championships 1,500m in Budapest last August, a spate of words has been exchanged between the two. Call it arrogance, confidence, intimidation or just good old fun – it has undoubtedly served to focus some attention on the two Olympic favorites’. Kerr with his intense turn of pace and Ingebrigtsen with plenty of speed endurance, the two have polar opposite race strategies.
Tonight was the climax of a year of that attention, three and a half minutes of suspense, with the focus on the two main players, the rest dwindling into the shadows, hardly noticed. Undeniably, the two men were fixated on each other’s races. Ingebrigtsen took the unusual stance of taking the race out, acutely aware that a fast pace would mitigate the risk of Kerr being able to unleash his lethal speed on the home straight. A speed that caught the Norwegian in Budapest last year. The same tactic used by Jake Wightman in Oregon the year before. He simply could not let it happen again. A fifty-four second first lap saw the field string out rapidly. Athletes following in linear motion. Kerr did not falter, his focus all the time on Ingebrigtsen. Ingebrigtsen for his part, caught sneaky glimpses of Kerr, he could almost feel the man breathing behind him, hear his breath.
Around the final bend, Kerr made his move, drawing almost level with the great man himself. Ingebrigtsen had the inside line, he moved slightly wide forcing Kerr to go around him. A young American named Cole Hocker tried to take advantage of the momentary gap on the inside, Ingebrigtsen had it covered forcing Hocker to push back, almost stop. Kerr moved up again on the outside. Ingebrigtsen once again moved wide. Then came that moment, the moment when Hocker quickly slipped through, leaving the two favourites to fight it out to his right. Hocker was chasing Olympic gold, moving ahead. Josh Kerr quickly chased him down. It was too late, that young American had seized his opportunity and in total disbelief was not about to give up.
Cole Hocker, the 23 year old American from Indiana, crossed the line in 3:27;65, three seconds better than his previous personal best and to top it all off, a new Olympic record. Behind him a fast-finishing Kerr took silver with a time of 3:27.79, a new British record. Yared Nuguse coming faster that any of them , claimed bronze in 3:27.80. Ingebrigtsen, the faded Tokyo Champion with a look of disbelief, finished 4th.
What started with the tumultuous roars of the crowd finished with the bankrupt symphony of silence of 75,000 spectators – stricken with disbelief at what just happened. This was not the way the story was supposed to end. It was almost hard to watch the fall of Ingebrigtsen as he slowly left the track.
“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” said Hocker in the aftermath of the race. “Winning gold was my goal this entire year…..my performances showed me that I was capable of running 3:27”, he added. “I knew that if I got it right, it would be a gold medal., ”. Well, he did get it right, seizing that moment of opportunity and going for gold.
There is a big Irish connection with tonights three 1500m medalists; Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse. They are all managed by Irish man Ray Flynn one of Irelands greatest 1500m runners of all time who still holds the one mile national record.
What will it take to produce an Irish win, even a medal? Two British athletes, and Kerr a Scotsman can make an Olympic final. Not to mention another Scott, Jake Wightman having missed the UK championships through injury. The UK, a people genetically not too unlike ours – basking in the thrones of elite 1500m running. At best we could manage one athlete in the semi-final, Cathal Doyle. Doyle who raced primarily in Ireland this year, the only athlete not sponsored in the Olympic semi-final. He had an incredible run, a new personal best despite being the slowest of our three athletes. Our ladies too, have to go through repechage. Young talent, with great potential – a one, two in the u23 Europeans last year. Ciara Mageean will be missed in Paris. Yet despite her great victory at the European Championships in Rome in June, Irish middle-distance running is not flourishing at senior level. Have we fallen victim to an overkill of paced races? Forgotten the concept of strategic running and how to race for a championship, where time has little relevance? Do we need bigger groups of athletes, training together driving each other on?
Whatever the solution, we do need to examine how we can improve our middle-distance prospects for future championships. Wouldn’t it be nice to watch a green singlet cross that line again, raising their hands in glory and doing a lap of honour with the tricolour draped around their shoulders. It has been twenty-four years since we last got a middle-distance medal at the Olympics. Will we have to wait twenty-four more?