Sundiata Post – Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen won his sixth European indoor gold as he dominated the 1500m in Apeldoorn on Friday in the first step in his bid for a third consecutive double gold on the covered continental stage.
The three-time European outdoor 1500m champion, who won 5 000m gold at last year’s Paris Olympics, sped to the front of the pack a third of the way through the race.
That move by the Norwegian, still just 24 years of age, immediately strung the field out as Germany’s Robert Farken took a tumble as the athletes jostled for places.
Hitting the bell in the lead, Ingebrigtsen made it look all too easy as he cruised to his 22nd European gold medal – including indoor, outdoor and cross-country – in a winning time of 3min 36.56sec.
France’s Azeddine Habz and Portugal’s Isaac Nader claimed silver and bronze respectively.
“I’m only halfway there,” said a jubilant Ingebrigtsen, who will be back on the track for heats of the 3 000m on Saturday, with the final of that event scheduled for 1550 GMT on Sunday.
“You need to do a lot of good things, not only in the preparations, but also in the race. I decided to stay a little bit relaxed the first half, and then go past the field when the pace is usually at its slowest.
“There was never any doubt in my mind, but there is always a game of chance. In the back of my head I know that I have a race tomorrow as well. Now I have to do the good things and prepare for that.”
Make that THREE European Indoor 1500m titles for Jakob Ingebrigtsen
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