“Team Ingebrigtsen” banks on altitude, form in virtual race

Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates after the men's 1500m final race during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Berlin on August 10, 2018. PHOTO | JOHN MACDOUGALL |

What you need to know:

  • The two teams that have arguably the best metric race athletes in the world, go head-on in the 2,000m race that is part of the “Impossible Games” on Thursday at 9.40pm (Kenyan time)
  • Perhaps Filip is the most successful, having won the European title in 2016 before claiming bronze at the 2017 London World Championships
  • Notably, the Henrik, Filip and Jakob  were among the stars who were pacers when Eliud Kipchoge made history by becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge

The Norwegian Ingebrigtsen brothers- Henrik, Filip and Jakob- are quite an exciting trio of track athletes not only in Europe but the whole world.

With the altitude and good form expected to play a critical role for “Team Ingebrigtsen” in their mission at the virtual Maurie Plant Memorial Race, their rivals, “Team Cheruiyot”, will have a dig deep to stop the Norwegians.

The two teams that have arguably the best metric race athletes in the world, go head-on in the 2,000m race that is part of the “Impossible Games” on Thursday at 9.40pm (Kenyan time).

The “Impossible Games” have been made possible by the Norwegian National Athletics Association and World Athletics to replace the Diamond League leg of Oslo that has been put off due to Covid-19 pandemic.

“Team Ingebrigtsen” comprising the Norwegian Ingebrigtsen brothers, will run at the Bislett Stadium, Oslo, Norway while “Team Cheruiyot” will be at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

Jakob, the European 1,500m and 5,000m champion, Henrik and Filip will be joined by fellow Norwegians Narve Gilje Nordås and Per Svela in “Team Ingebrigtsen.”

“Team Cheruiyot” include 2017 and 2019 1,500m world champions Elijah Manang'oi and Timothy Cheruiyot, Edwin Melly, Vincent Keter and Timothy Sein.

All 10 runners will go at once, and three athletes must finish from each team.

The team with the fastest cumulative time from their top-three runners wins.

Three Norwegian brothers have shown pedigree, going on to become European champions in the 1,500m even though they have fallen short of victory in global events like the World Championships, Olympic Games or the Continental Cup.

It’s no wonder the brothers who are trained by their father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, have been christened, the “Machine Team.” Gjert has already published a book entitled “How to raise a world champion”, talking about his son’s performances.

MOST SUCCESSFUL

The elder of the brothers, Henrik, 29, won the European title in 2012 before getting bronze at the 2018 Continental Cup in Ostrava.

Perhaps Filip is the most successful, having won the European title in 2016 before claiming bronze at the 2017 London World Championships. Filip, 27, holds the Norwegian 1,500 record with time 3:30.01, set at a Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 20, 2018.

The youngest, Jacob has been phenomenal since the year 2018, from winning the European Under-20 Championships in 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase to winning silver in 1,500m and bronze in 5,000m at the 2018 World Under-20 Championships in Tampere, Finland.

Then in 2018, Jakob would claim victory in 1,500m and 5,000m at the European Championships in Berlin, making him the most successful at the event among the brothers. It’s that year that he settled for bronze at the Continental Cup, losing the battle to Kenya’s Elijah Manang’oi and Marcin Lewandowski from Poland.

After bagging gold in 3,000m and silver in 1,500m at the European Indoor Championships in Glasgow and gold in Under-20 at the European Cross Country Championships, Jakob would settle fourth in 1,500m and fifth in 5,000m at the World Championships all in 2019.

INEOS 1:59 CHALLENGE

Jakob and Henrik set on a mission to down the Norwegian 5km Road Race record of 13:37 which is held by Sondre Nordstad Moen on May 20 this year in Stavanger, Norway.

The mission was successful as Jakob won the race in a new time 13:28, setting the ball rolling ahead of the Maurie Plant Memorial Race. Henrik also dipped into the record, finishing in 13:32. Their younger sister, Ingrid, also ran the race, crossing in 18:00.

Notably, the Henrik, Filip and Jakob  were among the stars who were pacers when Eliud Kipchoge made history by becoming the first man to run a marathon in under two hours during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge on October 12 last year in Austria. Kipchoge conquered the challenge in 1:59:41.

"TEAM INGEBRIGTSEN" BIO

Name: Henrik Ingebrigtsen

Date of Birth: February 124, 1991

Personal Best:
Outdoor-1,500m (3:31.46), One Mile (3:50.72), 3,000m: (7:36.85- NR), Two Mile (8:22.31), 5,000m (13:16.97).

Honours:

2012 European Championships 1,500m-gold,

2014 European Championships 1,500m-silver

2016 European Championships 1,500m-bronze

2018 European Championships 5,000m-silver

2018 Ostrava Continental Cup 3,000m-bronze

2015 European Indoor Championships 3,000m- bronze

2017 European Indoor Championships 3,000m- silver

2019 European Indoor Championships 3,000m- bronze
 

Name: Filip Ingebrigtsen

Date of Birth: April 20, 1993

Personal Best:

Outdoor: 400m (51.41), 800m (1:47.79), 1,000m (2:16.95), 1,500m (3:30.01-NR), One Mile (3:49.60-NR), 3,000m (7:49.70), 5,000m (13:11.75), 2,000m s/c(5:46.15), 10km (24:40)

Honours:

2016 European Championships 1,500m –gold

2017 London World Championships 1,500m-bronze

2018 European Cross Country Championships- gold

Name: Jakob Ingebrigtsen

Date of Birth: September 19, 2000

Personal Best: 800m (1:49.40), 1,500m(3:30.16), One Mile (3:51.30), 3,000m (8:00.01), 5,000m(13:02.03), 3,000m steeplechase(8:26.81), Road 10km (27:54), Road 5km

Honours:

2018 Ostrava Continental Cup 1,500m –bronze

2018 European Championships 1,500m- gold, 5,000m-gold

2019 European Indoor Championships 3,000m- gold, 1,500m-silver

2018 World Under-20 Championships 1,500m-silver, 5,000m-bronze

2017 European Under-20 Championships 5,000m-gold, 3,000m steeplechase-gold