Jakob Ingebrigtsen hints at surprise steeplechase return in Tokyo World Championships
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 16.08.25. | 14:48
Ingebrigtsen revealed that injury setbacks could force a change in his plans
Norwegian middle-distance star Jakob Ingebrigtsen has raised eyebrows with a tantalising hint that he might return to the 3000m steeplechase at the 2025 World Athletics Championships slated for Saturday, 13 to Sunday, 21 September in Tokyo, Japan.
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The Olympic 1500m champion from Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 5000m champion has not raced since his glittering indoor campaign earlier this year, where he completed 1500m/3000m doubles at both the Apeldoorn European Athletics Indoor Championships and the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing.
In a new YouTube video posted on Wednesday, 13 August, Ingebrigtsen revealed that injury setbacks could force a change in his plans.
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“I think that is going to lead up to a very exciting mid-September, where, worst-case scenario, we have to change things a little bit and maybe do something a little bit different.
Don’t forget, I was a steeplechaser in 2017 in my first World Championship, but again, that is a very difficult discipline for, let's say, your tendons. But that is where we are at right now, we are trying to push as much as we can,” he said.
Ingebrigtsen is not new to the 3,000m steeplechase. His credentials date back to 2017, when he won both the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m titles at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Grosseto.
However, since then, he has built his career around middle-distance and flat distance events, collecting an extraordinary haul of two Olympic, four World, and 16 European titles.
He went on to offer a candid insight into his recent struggles, revealing that the past two months have been a mental roller coaster.
“The last eight weeks have been challenging, but at the same time, I have been progressing quite a bit until things happened and I got a setback.
Stumbled upon some illness, sent me a little back and gave some more irritation to the Achilles,” he explained.
Ingebrigtsen, who trains at St. Moritz, further noted that he is now increasing his workload and has seen encouraging signs, including a very good track session just a couple of days ago.
Still, he admitted that full readiness for Tokyo is far from guaranteed.
“I think the next two, three weeks we will get a lot of answers… in terms of fitness, how fast I can run,” he said.
Known for racing year-round on the track, cross country, and indoors, Ingebrigtsen rarely takes extended breaks. The injury has forced him to confront the unpredictability of elite sport.
“Even though you’re trying everything with treatment, training, and alternative work, you don’t necessarily have a guarantee that you are progressing.
Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and then getting a second, or even third or fourth setback, is one of the bigger challenges,” he offered.
His presence in Tokyo will remain one of the most eagerly anticipated storylines of the 2025 World Championships.
