Jakob Ingebrigtsen (21) believes the 1500m world record is realistic in the long run, but rules it out during the world championships in Eugene.
– Although it only took a few seconds, there is still a very big gap to fill, says the 21-year-old during an interview session prepared by the news site Reuters.
In 1998, Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj set a world record with a time of 3.26.00 in the 1500m. The record still stands today.
Ingebrigtsen himself broke the Olympic record when he took the gold in Tokyo with a time of 3.28.32, but he doesn’t think the record is within his reach – yet.
It’s like asking people why they don’t go over nine seconds in the 100m. It’s only a matter of half a second, and Ingebrigtsen sarcastically explains why he doesn’t think it’s possible to beat the entire record yet.
However, he does not rule out the possibility of beating the world record in the long run.
– I think I can run faster. Of course, I try to optimize my time to get below 3.28, and if possible I try to get below 3.27. And finally, I might get close to the world record. And if so, a world record would be a realistic goal.
Now it’s Eugene’s World Cup turn for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who this time travels without Gjert’s father and brothers Filip and Henrik. The tournament starts on July 15th – the plan is to run for 1500m and 5000m.
– First I go for 1,500 metres, then I’ll see how it goes. Then I’ll see if I participate in the 5000 meters and. But if all goes according to plan, I will of course try to win as much as possible, says confident Ingebrigtsen.
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