After dropping a fourth international champs on the trot within the metric mile, the Norwegian faces ‘stick or twist’ dilemma
Within the film Fringe of Tomorrow, Tom Cruise discover himself in a Groundhog Day time-loop the place he’s attempting to carry down an alien invasion. Each time he dies, he wakes up and begins the day once more, getting a bit nearer to his purpose with every try.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen should really feel a bit like this in international championship 1500m races. After successful Olympic gold in 2021, he’s been out-kicked by Samuel Tefera to the 2022 world indoor title in Belgrade, Jake Wightman to 2022 world outside gold in Eugene, Josh Kerr on the 2023 world outside in Budapest and now Cole Hocker within the Paris Olympics. So as to add insult to damage, he didn’t win a medal within the latter both.
As compared, over 5000m he’s gained the final two world titles and this 12 months’s Olympic crown with relative ease. Given this, some counsel he ought to minimize his losses with the 1500m and deal with longer occasions.
The subject even got here up in Ingebrigtsen’s press convention after his 5000m win in Paris. Sitting alongside him, Grant Fisher, the 5000m and 10,000m bronze medallist in Paris, described the 1500m because the “marquee occasion” of the Video games and that abandoning it might be an “overreaction”.
There are many examples of nice athletes all through historical past persisting with an occasion earlier than lastly tasting success. Seb Coe misplaced main championships at 800m in 1978, 1980, 1982 and 1984 earlier than out-kicking Steve Cram and Tom McKean within the “Spitfires out of the solar” European remaining of 1986.
Coe, McKean and Cram in 1986 (Mark Shearman)
So the query isn’t a lot whether or not Ingebrigtsen ought to stick to 1500m however what techniques ought to he use? Main at near world file tempo (400m in 54.8 and 800m in 1:51.5) didn’t work for him in Paris. So what are the choices?
Run even quicker
Hicham El Guerrouj’s world file tempo from 1998 noticed the Moroccan clock 54.3 for 400m and 1:50.7 for 800m en path to his 3:26.00. If Ingebrigtsen will get himself in such form subsequent 12 months, he might probably run the legs off his rivals. Two issues, although. His rivals are more and more in a position to deal with such paces. El Guerrouj had a pacemaker too.
Begin quick and get quicker
Nick Willis, the two-time Olympic 1500m medallist from New Zealand, advised lately that if Ingebrigtsen led at a brisk tempo throughout the early levels, his rivals must waste power behind jostling for place and operating broad. The technique would contain Ingebrigtsen main at an sincere (however not loopy) tempo for perhaps 800m after which winding it up extra aggressively over the ultimate 700m, however after having run all the race on the kerb.
Mid-race surge
Let’s name this the Jürgen Straub technique. Within the 1980 Olympic remaining, Straub led by way of 800m in a sluggish 2:04.9 however then injected a 54.2 third lap. Coe and Steve Ovett had been stretched to their restrict and, whereas Straub didn’t win, he took a shock silver forward of Ovett. In fact, Straub was a part of East German system however the tactical lesson nonetheless applies.
Hicham El Guerrouj (Mark Shearman)
Make use of an unofficial pacemaker
It is a controversial and frowned upon tactic in main championships however El Guerrouj used it a number of instances at his peak. Within the 2000 Olympic remaining in Sydney his fellow countryman Youssef Baba led by way of 400m in 54.14 though Baba let the tempo slip on the second lap (1:54.77 at 800m), at which level El Guerrouj took it up, and after failing to drop his rivals the Moroccan was out-kicked by Noah Ngeny of Kenya.
His techniques of utilizing a team-mate as a sacrificial hare did work on the 1999 and 2001 world championships, nevertheless, when Adil Kaouch led within the early levels earlier than El Guerrouj got here by way of to win.
By some means I can’t see Norway’s Narve Gilje Nordås serving to Ingebrigtsen with the tempo, although.
Work in your dash
The Ingebrigtsen means of coaching is all about bettering endurance. The Norwegian does quick hill reps by way of the winter and little question a few of his monitor exercises near peaking are very quick, however perhaps it’s time to dedicate a bit extra time on the flexibility to dash and alter gears on the finish of a race?
Jakob Ingebrigtsen wins the Olympic 1500m gold (Getty)
Hope another person leads the early levels
Timothy Cheruiyot led from 400m to 1400m within the Tokyo Olympic remaining (passing 800m in 1:51.8). There are a variety of potential front-runners proper now, too, who would get pleasure from a tougher tempo from the early levels, equivalent to Yared Nuguse of the US for one.
To sum up
My feeling is that Ingebrigtsen has been overwhelmed by the higher man at his final 4 international 1500m finals however with a finest of three:26.73 from this 12 months (and three:43.73 for the mile final 12 months) it’s certainly not but time to maneuver on from the occasion.
In relation to techniques and technique, there is perhaps additional clues this season, too, when Ingebrigtsen faces Olympic champion Cole Hocker in Lausanne on August 22 after which Hocker, Nuguse and Kerr in Zurich on September 5.
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