Jakob Ingebrigtsen says sorry for viral rant, but stands by criticism of Cole Hocker

Ingebrigtsen's comments after the men's 1500m final went viral on Saturday, September 5, after the Norwegian lashed out at his competitors following a race that saw him miss out on the Diamond League title. Speaking to a Norwegian daily, Ingebrigtsen admitted that he went.

Ingebrigtsen's anger stemmed from the tactics used during the 1500m final, particularly the change in pacemaker involving Hocker. The Norwegian had expected a faster race and felt that the tactics employed by Hocker's camp had gone against what had been communicated to the athletes.

What Happened

When you promise the crowd a fast race, you have a responsibility to follow through, at least in my view. Ingebrigtsen had appeared on course for victory for much of the race, but faded in the closing stages as Australia's Cameron Myers.

• Ingebrigtsen also hit back at the wider backlash to his comments, suggesting that athletes should be allowed to show emotion after major races.

• Cole and I talked it through after the race.

• The Norwegian also questioned why Hocker's agent had become involved in the fallout, insisting that the two athletes had discussed what happened after the race.

Key Details

Myers held his nerve in a tightly contested finish to win in 3:30.14, edging Kenya's Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech by just four hundredths of a second. America's Ethan Strand finished third in 3:30.50, with Ingebrigtsen two hundredths further back in fourth in 3:30.52.

• Despite maintaining his criticism of Hocker and his team, Ingebrigtsen revealed that he has already spoken to the American about the incident and believes the matter between the two athletes has been settled.

• I’m very disappointed in the race and the result, I’m racing against a bunch of cowards.

• The Norwegian's frustration eventually boiled over in the mixed zone, where he said he was disappointed with both the race and the result.

Why It Matters

The result was another difficult outing for Ingebrigtsen, who is still working his way back after undergoing Achilles surgery in February. The Norwegian had dictated much of the pace and appeared to be in contention for a morale-boosting victory, but could not.

• Everybody thought he was forcing himself to follow the pacemaker, but that was just a trick.

• Cole, he got the pacemaker changed and swapped to his own teammate on behalf of a French pacer.

What Reports Say

Coverage of the story so far points to:

• Continued reporting by India Today as more details emerge