Jakob Ingebrigtsen reveals future plans as athletics history beckons

Retaining his Olympic 1500m title at Paris 2024 may be the first big goal on Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s sporting bucket list, but it’s far from the last. The 21-year-old now has a further aim, as he eyes athletics history: becoming the first man to win three consecutive Olympic 1500m gold medals.

“I’ve said that I have to keep going at least until 2028,” the athlete, who has previously hinted at an earlier retirement, told reporters after May’s 2022 Prefontaine Classic, before adding “Not necessarily retire [that year], but at least until ‘28.”

Ingebrigtsen stormed to victory at last year’s Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, breaking the Olympic record with a breathtaking performance that saw him finish in 3:28.32.

But he won’t be resting on his laurels anytime soon.

After being asked by Olympics.com to write down a message he wanted to tell himself at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, he first wrote: “Been there, done that. Let’s be the first to do back-to-back.”

However, when he was reminded that Great Britain’s Sebastian Coe achieved consecutive wins at Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, Ingebrigtsen was quick to change his goals.

“Just add back-to-back-to-back,” he said, contemplating the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles 2028: The historic goal

If Ingebrigtsen is to make history in Los Angeles, he will need to do so in the same city the original consecutive Olympic 1500m titles feat was achieved.

Having triumphed four years earlier in Moscow, Coe famously won at Los Angeles 1984 after picking himself up from a devastating loss to arch-rival Steve Ovett in the 800m just days earlier.

The Olympiad leading up to the Games had seen Coe suffer a severe dip in form, as medical issues took their toll and he was forced to watch new faces such as compatriot Steve Cram and the American Steve Scott vying to take his mantle as the best middle-distance runner in the world.

And while Coe eventually defied expectations with his win in Los Angeles, his plight shows the difficulties that can face an athlete aspiring to make history.

In a sport where wins are often claimed by the finest of margins, maintaining top form for such a long amount of time is a huge challenge in itself.

READ MORE: Coe defies critics to claim unique double

However, if any athlete has the skill, confidence and tenacity to take on the challenge, Ingebrigtsen is a good bet.

Just last month, he showed he’s suffering from no post-Olympics weariness as he dominated the non-Olympic distance Bowerman Mile race at the Eugene Diamond League. His win in 3:49.76 also saw him beat Olympic silver medallist and reigning world champion Timothy Cheruiyot to the line and underscored his position as one of the - if not the - finest male middle-distance runner in the world today.

Next month will prove even more of a test, as he travels back to Eugene for the 2022 World Athletics Championships that take place between 15 and 24 July.

But in keeping with his insatiable appetite to push the boundaries, Ingebritsen has more than just the 1500m title in his sights at the Worlds.

The 1500m/5000m double

Just as there is only one man to have won consecutive Olympic 1500m golds, there is also only one who has done the 1500m/5000m double at the World Championships - the USA’s Bernard Lagat all the way back in 2007 in Osaka.

Added to that, only two have managed to achieve the feat at the Olympics, Morrocco's Hicham El Guerrouj at Athens 2004 and Finland's Paavo Nurmi at Paris 1924.

Ingebritsen is aiming to once again rewrite the history books, starting with the World Championships in July where he will line up at both distances.

“Yeah, for sure,” he answered confidently when asked whether he would be on the starting line for both the 1500m and 5000m in Oregon.

READ: Paavo Nurmi: A distance running legend

However, even the high-aiming Norwegian saw the funny side of things when it was put to him that he could take on even more distances during upcoming championships.

“I would love to do 800, steeplechase, 1500, 5k, 10k and marathon,” he said with a wry smile on his face. “But I don’t think that’s possible with the schedule.”

For now, the world will have to content itself with an attempt at a 1500m/5000m double and the possibility of one the greatest achievements in athletics: back-to-back-to-back Olympic 1500m titles.