Jakob Ingebrigtsen has clinched his fourth European 5,000m title, making a spectacular return to racing after an 11-month injury layoff. The Norwegian athlete powered home in 13min 15.29sec, silencing doubts about his sprint finish and fitness.
Coming into the final bend, Ingebrigtsen was third and boxed in, but found a gap to accelerate past Frenchman Jimmy Gressier and German Florian Bremm. Bremm secured silver, 0.31sec behind, while Etienne Daguinos of France claimed bronze.
This victory marks Ingebrigtsen as the first man to win four European titles in the same event. He has also accumulated 17 European gold medals, including cross-country victories. He expressed his happiness, stating, "I dreamt of this moment two weeks ago when I put my name on the list."
The win is particularly significant given his struggles with Achilles injuries over the past 17 months, including surgery on his left Achilles tendon in February. Despite not having raced for 11 months, Ingebrigtsen maintained his impressive record at European championships, which dates back to 2019.