Jakob Ingebrigtsen storms to 5,000m victory on opening night of European Athletics Championships

Jakob Ingebrigtsen delivered a sensational victory at the European Athletics Championships, claiming his fourth successive 5,000m title with a display of audacious running. This win is particularly remarkable as it marks his return to competition after an 11-month hiatus and six months following Achilles tendon surgery.

Ingebrigtsen, who had not competed in any distance event for nearly a year, appeared to lull his competitors into believing he was not yet at his peak form. He stayed near the back of the 23-man field for most of the race, only making his decisive move in the final 20 meters to secure the win with a time of 13:15.29.

Germany's Florian Bremm secured the silver medal, finishing just behind Ingebrigtsen in 13:15.60. Among the Irish contingent, Nick Griggs achieved the best result, finishing eighth in 13:21.07 despite losing a spike during the race. Darragh McElhinney finished 18th, and Brian Fay came in 14th.

Norway also secured a gold medal in the mixed relay, succeeding Ireland as champions. In other events, Ireland's Sarah Lavin finished sixth in her 100m hurdles heat with a time of 13.07 seconds, acknowledging a turbulent season. Nicola Tuthill qualified for the hammer final, and Eric Favors reached the shot put final, finishing tenth.

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It’s been a very turbulent couple of weeks, couple of months. A lot of different scenarios, and things to overcome, But I’m proud that I got to the line. I kind of know what I can do to fix this, and unfortunately it’s time.