Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen produced a devastating final kick to win the 3 000m at the world indoor championships in Nanjing on Saturday to keep his quest for double gold on track.
Officially a world indoor champion ‼️
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) March 22, 2025
Jakob Ingebrigtsen finally wins his long-awaited world indoor gold after an elbow to elbow finish with 🇪🇹's Berihu Aregawi in the 3000m 😤
🥇 Ingebrigtsen 7:46.09 🇳🇴
🥈 Aregawi 7:46.25 🇪🇹
🥉 Ky Robinson 7:47.09 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/l0Bt3EHYTU
Ingebrigtsen clocked 7min 46.09sec for victory in a thrilling race at Nanjing's Cube.
Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi, who won 10 000m silver at last year's Paris Olympics, claimed silver in 7:46.25 after leading for the bulk of the final lap. Australian Ky Robinson took bronze (7:47.09).
Ingebrigtsen will now turn his attention to his favoured 1 500m on Sunday in a bid to emulate Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie, who achieved the 1 500/3 000m double in Maebashi, Japan, in 1999.
"I don't enjoy the 1 500m warm-up, but the racing is a lot of fun, and that's what I'm going to do tomorrow - have a lot of fun," said Ingebrigtsen.
A double Olympic champion and two-time world champion over 5 000m, Ingebrigtsen came into the competition on the back of victories in the 1 500 and 3 000m at the European indoor championships in Apeldoorn.
But, remarkably, a world indoor title had eluded the 24-year-old until he predictably took Saturday's race by the scruff of the neck in the dying metres.
In his last outing at a world indoors, Ingebrigtsen finished second in the 1 500m to Ethiopian Samuel Tefera in Belgrade in 2022. He then missed Glasgow last year with an achilles heel injury.
"It's always special to get a world medal, and even more so when it's one you haven't got before," said Ingebrigtsen.
"I would've probably wanted to go out to the front a little earlier. I felt like at that point, it's all about routines and having a smooth feeling.
"I felt strong at the end and generally I have a better finish than my competitors. It was a little bit of a fight, but I was confident that I could make a move in the last 100m and win, and ultimately that was the main goal."
- Perfectly timed -
Ingebrigtsen, as his wont, was happy to sit at the back of the 14-strong pack as German's Sam Parsons took up the running in Nanjing, splitting the pack into single file.
The Norwegian didn't linger long after Parsons' surge, shifting gears to move up through the field to take the lead with 11 laps to go.
Placing himself at the front, free of any potential problem with mid-pack traffic, Ingebrigtsen ceded to the Ethiopian duo of Biniam Mehary and Getnet Wale.
Ireland's Andrew Coscoran took the pack through with seven laps to run, Ingebrigtsen sat in fourth.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen 🇳🇴 wins 3000m GOLD at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing!!🥇
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) March 22, 2025
🥈 Berihu Aregawi 🇪🇹 7:46.25
🥉 Ky Robinson 🇦🇺 7:47.09pic.twitter.com/fLmekpzkKq
Kenya's Cornelius Kemboi surged through and suddenly Ingebrigtsen found himself somewhat boxed in in sixth.
With 600m to run, the Norwegian made his move, going wide to get clear and sit in Aregawi's shadow.
Shoulder-to shoulder, the pair went through the bell together, just a 200m sprint ahead of them to the finish line.
Aregawi looked like he had it, but the Norwegian was on the Ethiopian's coattails and bade his time brilliantly until the back straight, launching a perfectly timed final attack for a first world indoor gold.