Watch: Josh Kerr refuses to praise Jakob Ingebrigtsen ahead of 1500m rematch

British athlete appears to deride Norwegian’s dress sense in awkward press conference ahead of 1500m rematch

Josh Kerr pointedly ducked an open invitation to compliment his arch rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen during an icy press conference ahead of the rematch in Zurich on Thursday of the Olympic 1500m final.
The two men were asked to identify the best quality in the other and, while sat on stage together, Kerr replied “his dress sense… that would be number one” in apparent reference to the white tracksuit, red T-shirt and red trainers that the 23-year-old Norwegian was wearing.
He then simply repeated the observation after being asked by the journalist to clarify, prompting an uncomfortable silence and noticeable lack of laughter on a stage that also included the American athletes Cole Hocker and Yared Nuguse.
Ingebrigtsen, who has broken the world 3,000m record and won Olympic gold over 5,000m since finishing fourth behind silver medallist Kerr in Paris, ignored the comment but did then praise the Scot’s ability to peak at the major athletics championships.
“I would probably say his performance… making 100% when it matters,” said Ingebrigtsen of Kerr’s top quality. “I think Josh has been doing that since at least the Tokyo [Olympics in 2021]. Being able to make your best race when it really matters is important.”
“His dress sense is probably his best quality”That awkward moment when @joshk97 and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are asked to say something nice about each other. 😬#ZurichDL🇨🇭#DiamondLeague pic.twitter.com/NfARZA19Xx
Ingebrigtsen and Kerr have exchanged barbs since the 2023 World Championship when Kerr beat Ingebrigtsen to 1500m gold. Ingebrigtsen had previously won the 1500m at the 2021 Olympics when Kerr took bronze.
In Paris, he admitted to being out-smarted by Kerr, Hocker and Nuguse when, after leading for 1300m of the race, his front-running tactics backfired in the final straight and he was relegated to fourth.
Ingebrigsten had labelled Kerr “the Brit who never competes” before the race but was magnanimous in defeat, saying “I guess he did show up after all” before offering congratulations on a “great” performance.
Kerr broke Mo Farah’s British record in racing to Olympic silver and has since spent most of the past four weeks training at altitude in Albuquerque in preparation for Thursday’s Diamond League race that will also include Olympic gold medallist Hocker and bronze medallist Nuguse.
Ingebrigtsen by contrast has raced several times since the Paris defeat, beating Hocker over 1500m and then smashing the 28-year world record over 3,000m to prompt suggestions that he could threaten Hisham El Guerrouj’s 1500m world record on Thursday. The Norwegian, however, played that down and revealed that his training had been interrupted over recent days by an infection.
“Everybody told me that I was not supposed to be here – or I shouldn’t be here – but I’m looking forward to all of my races after Paris,” said Ingebrigtsen. “Of course, I want to do as good as I can to show up and get a good race. Sometimes the preparation is not perfect. It’s a setback. If it’s going to be a world record? Maybe not.”
Kerr, who has beaten Ingebrigtsen in their last three direct races, excluding the Olympic semi-final, highlighted his post-Paris decisions and referred to Diamond League races – which include pace-makers and in which Ingebrigtsen is generally dominant – as “time trials”.
“It’s what my body is capable of… it’s why I’m able to stay away from injuries and illnesses throughout the winter, throughout the whole season really,” said Kerr of his race decisions. “I’m a little bit more selective in what I did. I took a month off after the Olympics just to make sure I’m ready to go for this one.” 
Nuguse and Hocker also announced on Wednesday that they would be joining Kerr in Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track league next year over 800m and 1500m.