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Jakob Ingebrigtsen apologizes for calling rivals ‘losers’, but keeps attacking Cole Hocker’s manager

From Aftenposten · () Norwegian

Translated from Norwegian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Jakob Ingebrigtsen apologized for calling his competitors “losers” after finishing fourth in the 1,500 meters at the Diamond League final in Brussels.
  • He maintained that Cole Hocker and his team acted unfairly by signaling one race strategy and then using another.
  • Hocker’s manager Ray Flynn accused Ingebrigtsen of blaming others, while Ingebrigtsen said he and Hocker had settled the issue after the race.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen says he went too far when he called his rivals “losers” after the Diamond League final in Brussels. But the Norwegian middle-distance star has not withdrawn his criticism of Cole Hocker’s team.

“I should not have called anyone losers. I apologize for that. It was low, regardless of the adrenaline and emotions,” Ingebrigtsen told VG through his adviser, Espen Skoland.

I should not have called anyone losers. I apologize for that. It was low, regardless of the adrenaline and emotions.

· Jakob IngebrigtsenHe apologized for insulting competitors after the Diamond League final.

Ingebrigtsen finished fourth in the 1,500 meters and was frustrated by the pace of the race. Speaking after the event, he said the runners had been afraid and described the field as a group of losers. He later acknowledged that he had not been good enough to win.

Cole got his own teammate’s pacemaker replaced. Everyone therefore thought he would force himself to follow his own man’s pace. But it was only a trick.

· Jakob IngebrigtsenHe explained his criticism of Cole Hocker’s race tactics.

His criticism of Hocker focused on what he said was a change in race tactics. Ingebrigtsen said Hocker’s team had told the other athletes and the organizers that it would target a specific pace and bring in its own pacemaker. Instead, he claimed, Hocker’s team switched the pacemaker and Hocker stayed behind the other runners.

“Cole got his own teammate’s pacemaker replaced. Everyone therefore thought he would force himself to follow his own man’s pace. But it was only a trick,” Ingebrigtsen said. “He fooled us all, because he decided instead to hide behind everyone else.”

Jakob no longer wins races and comes across as a whiny runner who blames others.

· Ray FlynnHocker’s manager criticized Ingebrigtsen’s post-race comments.

Ray Flynn, Hocker’s manager, responded by accusing Ingebrigtsen of becoming a runner who complains and blames others for his own mistakes. Ingebrigtsen said he still stood by his criticism, arguing that athletes who promise a pace to the public have a responsibility to deliver. He added that he and Hocker had discussed the dispute after the race and considered it finished, questioning why Flynn had continued to intervene. “If you are not allowed to show a little passion after a race, you should find a sport that does not want an audience,” he said.

If you are not allowed to show a little passion after a race, you should find a sport that does not want an audience.

· Jakob IngebrigtsenIngebrigtsen defended showing emotion after competition.
About this summary

Originally published by Aftenposten in Norwegian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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