Jakob Ingebrigtsen showcased his remarkable comeback from injury by securing his fourth consecutive 5,000-meter title at the European championships held in Birmingham, England. The Norwegian, a two-time Olympic champion, returned to the track after undergoing surgery earlier this year to address scar tissue around his left Achilles tendon.
During the race, Ingebrigtsen trailed in third place, but with a burst of speed in the final 50 meters, he overtook Florian Bremm of Germany to finish in 13 minutes and 15.29 seconds. Bremm claimed second place, with France’s Etienne Daguinos following closely behind.
Expressing his elation, Ingebrigtsen stated, “Coming back from a challenging period to reclaim the European title is immensely gratifying. I had doubts about my performance until the final 600 meters, but I eventually knew I could secure the victory.”
In awe of Ingebrigtsen’s prowess, Daguinos referred to him as “a legend of our sport.” Meanwhile, Bremm acknowledged Ingebrigtsen’s speed, acknowledging that the Norwegian outpaced everyone despite his recent injury.
Although Ingebrigtsen opted out of the 1,500-meter race in Birmingham, he has dominated both the 1,500 and 5,000 events in the past three European championships. His Achilles issue had impacted his performance at the previous world championships in Tokyo, where he faced challenges in both the 1,500 and 5,000 competitions.
With this latest win, Ingebrigtsen extended his record as the most successful male athlete in the history of the European championships, clinching his seventh individual gold.
In a separate event, Amy Hunt of Britain clinched the women’s 100 meters in a thrilling race, with a time of 11 seconds, narrowly beating Poland’s Ewa Swoboda and Belgium’s Delphine Nkansa. Hunt’s victory came after her silver medal win at the Commonwealth Games.
Jessica Schilder from the Netherlands secured her third consecutive gold in shot put, throwing 20.73 meters at Alexander Stadium. Schilder, the reigning world champion, highlighted her confidence despite a finger injury, emphasizing her determination to succeed despite the physical challenge.
Schilder, who previously surpassed 21 meters in the Shanghai Diamond League, described this win as the “easiest” among her three European championship victories. In the men’s shot put event, Leonardo Fabbri defended his title with a throw of 22.31 meters, with his Italian teammate Zane Weir securing silver and Sweden’s Wictor Petersson finishing third.