The men's 1500m in 2024: a review
The men's 1500m has become one of track and field's most electrifying events, where drama, rivalries, and plot twists collide to create an unforgettable season.
Athletics
You could write a whole saga on the men’s 1500m, and Norway's double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen would be the first to tell you why.
It is a race of speed and strategy, where every lap is a chess match played at breakneck pace, and a single wrong move can cost a crown. The outcome is never guaranteed, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats until the final, breathless strides.
"The 1500m is very complex. You could probably write a whole book on it." Ingebrigtsen told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview.
"There's a reason why it's called the Formula One of track races. Because it’s unpredictable. You have all types of runners - endurance, strength, sprinters - it all depends on who makes the best decisions that day. That’s what makes it so thrilling to watch."
2024 proved his statements true, as the track world witnessed rivalries boil over, underdogs rise from the shadows, and unexpected turns at Paris 2024 that left the world in awe.
Olympics.com uncovers the heart-stopping moments that made the men’s 1500m one of the most exciting events on the track in 2024.
Meet the characters
The 1500m event is nearly impossible to dominate, but a few men have had particular standout and consistent performances this season.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen
At just 23 years of age, Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s resume is already the stuff of legends - two Olympic titles, six European titles, and world records in distances in the 1500m (indoor), 2000m (outdoor) and 3000m (outdoor). He has the goal of breaking every world record, and the ambition to back it up. His reign over the 5000m is practically untouchable, with consecutive world titles and Olympic gold.
However, there’s one title that has continually eluded him since his Olympic triumph in Tokyo - the 1500m world crown. Despite being the fastest European over the distance, Ingebrigtsen has found himself outwitted by rivals on more than one occasion.
Josh Kerr
Known for his tactical brilliance and unshakable confidence, Team GB's Kerr has turned the 1500m into his personal training ground. The former NCAA champion, who thrives in head-to-head duels, has made a name for himself by taking down the biggest names on the track, including Ingebrigtsen.
Cole Hocker
Hocker burst onto the scene with a quiet determination by winning the 2021 US trials and finishing sixth in the Tokyo 2020 final. He struggled to find his rhythm and consistency after Tokyo, but 2024 was his year of redemption. After a silver in Glasgow at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, Hocker set his sights on the ultimate prize. Paris was his proving ground.
Jared Nuguse
Soft-spoken and laid-back, Nuguse is a self-proclaimed Taylor Swift fan who’s more likely to be seen chilling with his pet turtle than talking trash. But when it comes to race day, Nuguse runs his own race, strategically biding his time to perfection. He holds the North American outdoor record in the mile and continues to be a mainstay in Team USA’s middle-distance dominance.
The men's 1500m: A timeline
To fully understand the landscape leading up to Paris 2024, we must rewind to the last Olympic cycle, where the seeds of rivalry were first sown.
The Torch is Passed (Tokyo 2020)
The young Norwegian first announced his arrival in the 1500m by setting an Olympic and European record of 3:28.32 to clinch the crown. His rival at the time, Kenya’s 2019 world champion Timothy Cheruiyot, had dominated the event in the lead-up to the Olympics, winning twelve straight 1500m races against Jakob.
Ingebrigtsen surged past his rival on the final bend, securing his first Olympic gold, with Cheruiyot settling for silver and Kerr claiming bronze.
The victory also signaled the passing of the torch, as Ingebrigtsen became the new king of the 1500m.
But his reign would soon be tested.
2022-2023: Wightman and Kerr dethrone the Olympic champion
The 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, shocked Ingebrigtsen as Britain’s Jake Wightman, a relatively under-the-radar contender, dethroned the Olympic champion in the 1500m final.
It was a bitter pill for Ingebrigtsen to swallow as the Brit out-kicked him down the final straight to snatch gold.
Fast forward to 2023, and history repeated itself in Budapest. This time, it was Kerr’s turn to upset the Norwegian in the 1500m final. The two went toe-to-toe for much of the race, but Kerr found another gear in the last stretch, leaving Ingebrigtsen visibly stunned as he crossed the line in second place, again.
Ingebrigtsen later claimed that illness had hampered his performance. But Kerr’s post-race comments only added fuel to the fire, questioning whether Jakob truly recognized his weaknesses.
“If he doesn’t realize that he’s got some real major weaknesses, then he will not win the 1500m gold medal next year,” the world champion boldly declared.
Ingebrigtsen’s reponse? "I would have beaten him in that race blindfolded."
With that, the rivalry between Kerr and Ingebrigtsen skyrocketed.
Olympic preparation on the 2024 Diamond League circuit
The 2024 outdoor season was a thriller. In late May, at the Eugene Diamond League, Kerr laid down the gauntlet by winning the prestigious Bowerman Mile, with Ingebrigtsen second and Nuguse third. Kerr's win in the U.S. made one thing clear: he wasn’t going to let his 2023 triumph be a one-off.
Five days later, the Norwegian bounced back at his home meet in Oslo, edging out Cheruiyot in a dramatic finish by physically diving over the finish line for gold.
But the real statement came in July, when Ingebrigtsen shattered the European record and world lead at the Monaco Diamond League. Clocking in at 3:26.89, he became one of only four athletes to run under 3:27:00.
There was no room for doubt - Ingebrigtsen was in the form of his life heading into Paris 2024.
Paris 2024 final: The "race for the ages"
The stage was set for what World Athletics President Sebastian Coe hailed as a "race for the ages" - a head-to-head showdown between reigning Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen and world champion Kerr.
Ingebrigtsen, coming off a stellar season, entered as the favorite, while Kerr, determined to avenge his rival, boldly declared it would be "the most competitive 1500m the sport has seen in a long time."
But the Olympic final had other plans.
As the athletes flew down the final stretch, neither Kerr nor Ingebrigtsen claimed victory. Instead, it was the American underdog, Hocker, who delivered a jaw-dropping kick in the last 200 meters. Surging past the two champions, Hocker seized gold with a blistering 3:27.65, shattering the Olympic record.
Kerr took silver, and fellow American Nuguse claimed bronze, marking the first time in 112 years that two Americans stood on the 1500m Olympic podium.
The athletics world was left stunned. Ingebrigtsen, expected to dominate, finished a heart-wrenching fourth, but later found redemption with a gold medal in the 5000m.
After the storm
The 1500m rivalry didn't end in Paris. In Lausanne, just a month after the Olympic Games, Ingebrigtsen avenged his Olympic defeat by beating the newly-crowned Olympic champion Hocker in a thrilling finish.
One month later, Olympic bronze medallist Nuguse topped the podium, finishing ahead of both Hocker and Ingebrigtsen in Zurich.
But Ingebrigtsen would have the last laugh later in the season. At the Diamond League Finals in Brussels, he capped off the season by edging out Nuguse, Hocker, and Cheruiyot, reaffirming that despite missing out on the Olympic podium, he was still the man to beat.
A final statement for 2024 and revenge served on a sparkling diamond platter.
Reflecting on his season, Ingebrigtsen told Olympics.com: "I'm in a position now where I can dictate the races a little bit more. That's obviously a great position to be in, but at the same time, I compete quite a lot, and sometimes you're lucky, and sometimes you're not."
So as the curtain falls on the 2024 track season, the world's best middle-distance runners will take some well-deserved time off before gearing up for the indoor season. But while the track may be quiet for now, the anticipation is already building for what’s next in the world of the men’s 1500m.
Can the Americans, who have shaken up the middle-distance hierarchy with their dominance in Paris, continue their reign on home soil at LA28? Will we see another dramatic shift in power as new contenders emerge? With the 1500m, you never know what to expect...