Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen renew spicy rivalry in brand new event

World mile record-holder Josh Kerr will renew his spicy rivalry with Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen at next month’s inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

The pair will clash over 1500 metres in Hungary in what will be an eagerly anticipated clash of two track titans who have never hidden their disdain for each other.

The latest verbal grenade was hurled by Ingebrigtsen who accused Kerr of being one of the athletes who was “ruining” the sport by missing the recent European Championships in Birmingham.

The Scot opted to skip the Euros after a busy summer which saw him prioritise his bid to break the long-standing world mile record and a home Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Kerr’s success in both suggests he did the right thing but Ingebrigtsen couldn’t resist a potshot at his nemesis.

Josh Kerr, centre, enjoys a victory over Norwegian Jakob Ingebrigtsen, right, at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023. The pair will return to Hungary next month. | BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

“It’s not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate,” the Norwegian said after winning the 5000m in Birmingham. “We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete – that is the whole point.

“So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position.”

Kerr took down the 27-year-old mile record set by Hicham El Guerrouj in 1999 when he ran a time of 3 minutes 42.66 seconds at the London Diamond League event. He then won gold in the Commonwealth Mile at Scotstoun Stadium.

He is unrepentant about prioritising the two mile events over the Euros and is looking forward to locking horns with Ingebrigtsen in Hungary in the new Ultimate event from September 11-13.

“I’ve made some choices this season that have created plenty of noise, but I’ve always wanted to prove myself in the biggest races, against the best in the world,” said Kerr. “Budapest gives me another opportunity to do that, and I’m coming to compete for the win.”

It is likely to be a fast race and another long-standing world record could be under threat. Morocco’s El Guerrouj currently holds the 1500m record too, having run 3:26.00 in Rome in 1998.

Kerr and Ingebrigtsen have both received exceptional invitations to the meeting in Budapest. The last time the pair raced over 1500m was in September 2024 in Zurich.

A World Athletics statement read: “While exceptional invitations are otherwise capped at one per discipline for the inaugural edition of the global championship, the board determined this race could not in good faith be considered a full line-up of the greatest athletes on the planet without the inclusion of both Kerr and Ingebrigtsen.”