Jakob Ingebrigtsen is halfway to completing a golden double after victory in the men’s 3000m at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Saturday (March 22).
At the end of a slow tactical race, Ingebrigtsen glided past Berihu Aregawi of Ethiopia in the home straight to win in 7:46.09 as Aregawi clocked 7:46.25 and, a few metres behind, Ky Robinson of Australia clocked 7:47.09 to pip American Sam Gilman for bronze.
Aregawi hit the front with 500m to go and then held off the Norwegian’s attempt to hit the front with 200m to go. Ingebrigtsen was forced to run wide on the final lap but when he launched his final attack into the home straight, he had too much for the Ethiopian.
“I tried to be a little bit reserved,” said Ingebrigtsen, who went right to the back at the start of the race before coolly moving through during the race. “I would’ve probably wanted to go out to the front a little earlier. I felt like at that point, it’s all about routines and having a smooth feeling.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen beats Berihu Aregawi (Getty)
“I probably would’ve liked the pace to be a little bit faster, but I decided to stay there and see what happens. I felt strong in the end and generally I have a better finish than my competitors. It was a little bit of a fight, but I was confident that I can make a move in the last 100m and win – and ultimately that was the main goal.”
Ingebrigtsen won two golds at the European Indoor Championships earlier this month and will now go for gold in the 1500m final in Nanjing on Sunday. He added: “Going into a race like this, I always expect it to be fast, because that’s the worst case scenario. I got some slower laps at the beginning of the race, which made me save some energy. But the pace racked up significantly more, but it’s good.
“My competitors study me, but you have to race many times to be able to respond in all scenarios. I’ve done a lot of racing but I’m not perfect. It’s all about learning. The more you race, the more you learn, so you can make the right decisions at the right point to increase the possibility of winning.”
Shelby Houlihan, Freweyni Hailu, Jess Hull (Getty)
Ethiopia enjoyed victory in the women’s 3000m, though, when Freweyni Hailu strode away to win in 8:37.21.
Shelby Houlihan, the American returning from a controversial doping ban, took silver in 8:38.21 as Jess Hull was a close third in 8:38.28.
Whittni Morgan of the United States, Birke Haylom of Ethiopia and Sarah Healy of Ireland completed the top six.
Hailu, 24, said: “I was sick at home just before coming to Nanjing, so I stayed at the back to conserve myself before making my push. I’m healthy now, and I came here to win. Last year I won the 1500m, now I’ve won the 3000m, and I’m so happy about that.”
Houlihan, 32, was banned in 2021 for four years after testing positive for nandrolone. She suggested the positive test could have come from eating contaminated pork from a burrito bar, but continued training through the ban and even raced in a beer mile event during her suspension period.
Her spell on the sidelines ended earlier this year, though, with her returning to racing in recent weeks and now her indoor season has culminated with a global podium place.
“It’s been a long time coming and tactically I’m happy with the way it went and I really fought to the line,” she said. “It’s been tough (in the last four years) so to come away with a silver medal here has made me really happy.
“I’m grateful to be here and back in this environment and my main goal is just to have fun.”
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