Jakob Ingebrigtsen was pipped to the 5km title at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark on Saturday (19) afternoon.
Contesting his first official road 5km on the day of his 26th birthday, Ingebrigtsen ran cautiously in the early stages and only hit the front for the first time with 300 metres remaining having gradually reeled in Ethiopia’s Mezgebu Sime and Eritrea’s Dawit Seare, both of whom made aggressive moves in the last kilometre.
Ingebrigtsen seemed destined for his first global title on the roads but just over a week after unleashing a ferocious last 100 metres of 12.6 to win the 5000m title at the World Ultimate Championship, the Norwegian suddenly looked fallible in the part of the race which is so often his domain.
As Ingebrigtsen began to falter, a rejuvenated Seare counter-attacked in the last 100 metres and pushed on for a wholly unexpected but ultimately decisive victory in 12:56.
As Seare went past, Ingebrigtsen glanced around anxiously but held on for the silver medal in a Norwegian record of 12:59 before collapsing on the asphalt in exhaustion. Seare’s compatriot Saymon Amanuel ensured a brace of Eritrean medals in third in 13:00.
"I did have the feeling from the very start that this race today would be extremely fast so I'm very pleased to take the silver medal. It is amazing. It was not long ago that I was not able to do anything, so I am of course happy to be back, and to be competing against the best in the world. I just tried to give it all I could.
"This medal is absolutely a cherry on the top. In running, coming back from an injury, there is no guarantee that you can perform at the best level so I am very happy to be back racing and to win a silver medal," said Ingebrigtsen after winning his third major medal in the space of five weeks.
Reigning world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier, who smashed his European record earlier this season with a 12:51 clocking in Lille, faded to 14th in 13:17 having tracked his compatriot Flavien Szot who led through the two kilometre mark.