Jakob Ingebrigtsen Brings Home Gold in the 5,000 Meter

In 13:13.66 time, Nike athlete Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold today in the 5,000-meter race. This is his second Olympic gold after winning the 1,500 meter in Tokyo in 2021.

“Every part of me is about winning. It's the most important thing, and it’s what I’m going to chase,” says the Norwegian middle-distance runner. “To be able to win, you need to visualize yourself as the best. I need to see myself on top of my opponents to be able to win.” 

When he was 16 years old, he became the youngest man in history to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Jakob has since shattered records, including clocking two miles in under 8 minutes — a feat matched by only one other runner in the world. Now, the 23-year-old is one of the world leaders in both the mile and the 5,000 meter.

Jakob attributes his success in part to his drive to compete against his two older brothers, Henrik and Filip. “When I was young, saying that I wanted to be like my brother was synonymous with saying, ‘I want to beat them,’” he says. “Weirdly, we feel like we’re part of each other’s process when we achieve some kind of success.”

The three Ingebrigtsen brothers paced with Eliud Kipchoge for Breaking2. “Seeing the level of athletes who trained alongside him was crazy,” says Jakob. “At the end of the day, we all have the same goal: to see how fast human beings can go at different distances. We’re competing for that honor, but we’re also united by that competition.”