- John Steffensen has ventured into the rivalry between Ingebrigsten and Kerr
- The 1500m stars will compete against each other in Paris
- Watch every moment, every medal and every event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games live, ad-free and on-demand in 4K on Stan Sport.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen was accused of arrogance during the Olympic Games in Paris.
But John Steffensen is absolutely impressed with what he sees from the Norwegian runner.
Ingebrigtsen ended his race before the start line in France by making a scathing comment about arch-rival Josh Kerr, claiming that the world champion from Great Britain ‘never races’.
“It’s hard to call him a rival when he’s never there,” said the 23-year-old. “He’s known as the Brit who never competes. I try to do as many races as possible and I want to be here to entertain.”
This was followed by a 1500m heat performance in which he barely got out of second gear. The Norwegian was unconcerned about the starting gun and let his rivals stretch 20m ahead of him from the start before racing along the outer lanes to the finish line.
Critics have described Ingebrigtsen’s approach as “disrespectful” and “arrogant” but Steffensen, the silver medallist in Athens, believes the Norwegian and his rivalry with Kerr are brilliant for the sport.
“Love, love, love, love, love it,” Stan Sport ambassador Jeffersen told Daily Mail Australia. “I love Josh Kerr too. This is what the sport needs.”
“There is nothing arrogant about it. Ultimately, Jakob Ingebrigtesen has proven, since he was 16, why he is the best in the world and he deserves to run and behave the way he thinks he should behave to get the best out of himself.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is encouraged to continue his ‘arrogant’ actions
The Norwegian runner has thrown a fuse into his war of words with Josh Kerr
‘We’ve seen that with Josh Kerr when he runs. Josh gives as much as he gets and I think that’s great from Josh as well.’
According to Steffensen, the behavior of the two arch-rivals is a perfect example for ambitious young people.
“These guys wear their hearts on their sleeves. They put their names on the line. They claim what they want to achieve, they say what they want to do.
‘This is what I like to encourage kids to do: come out of the shadows of hiding how good you feel, and step out and proclaim it, speak it out. Be a pioneer.
‘There’s a reason Josh Kerr is world champion, because that’s what he does and that’s what he thinks. There’s a reason Jakob Ingebrigtsen will go down in history as one of the best long-distance runners in the world.
“I think this conservatism that people want, and they still want great performances, is an exaggeration and I think ultimately I’m asking these athletes to entertain me. If you ask me if these two guys are entertaining, oh yes, they are.”
The 41-year-old even went so far as to say that almost all athletes have the same opinion about their biggest rival, but they don’t want to express it publicly.
But Australian track and field legend John Steffensen says the rivalry is exactly what the sport needs
He added that every athlete has the same attitude towards his rivals
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“Ninety-nine percent of athletes think that, so start saying it and showing it now,” he said.
“You can’t strive to be the best in the world and not think it. We ask them to hide it because for some reason it doesn’t fit into our social narrative of life.
‘We’re looking at a coliseum, we’re seeing the best athletes in the world going head to head and there’s always going to be a certain level of competitiveness and that’s shown in different ways.
“It’s about embracing every way an athlete can demonstrate how they perform.”
Ingebrigtsen and Kerr will meet on Sunday evening in Paris in the semi-final of the men’s 1500 meters.
Watch every moment, every medal and every event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games live, ad-free and on-demand in 4K on Stan Sport.