Jakob Ingebrigtsen apologizes for viral rant but stands by Cole Hocker’s criticism

Two-time Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has apologized for calling his rivals a “bunch of cowards” after a disappointing fourth place in the Diamond League final in Brussels. However, the multiple Diamond League winner has made it clear that his criticism of American rival Cole Hocker is not changing.

Ingebrigtsen’s comments after the men’s 1500m final went viral on Saturday 5 September after the Norwegian lashed out at his competitors after the race that saw him miss out on the Diamond League title. In an interview with a Norwegian daily, Ingebrigtsen admitted that he had gone too far in calling his opponents losers, but doubled down on his criticism of Hocker and his team.

“I shouldn’t have called anyone a loser. I’m sorry for that. It was beneath me, regardless of the adrenaline and emotions,” Ingebrigtsen said.

“But I stand by what I said about Cole and his team being cowardly. They told other athletes and organizers that they were targeting a specific pace and that they were using their own pacemaker to set that pace, but then they did something completely different.” Men’s 1500m race in the Diamond League 2026 final. (Photo Reuters)

WHY WAS INGEBBRIGSTENA ANGRY?

Ingebrigtsen’s anger stemmed from the tactics used during the 1500m final, particularly the pacemaker change involving Hocker. The Norwegian expected a faster race and felt that the Hocker camp’s tactics contradicted what had been communicated to the athletes and organizers.

“When you promise the crowd a fast race, you have a responsibility to follow through, at least from my point of view. It’s not about me losing. I wasn’t good enough. It’s about taking responsibility for the commitments you made to the meeting organizers, the audience and your competitors,” he added.

Ingebrigtsen was on course for victory for most of the race but faded in the closing stages as Australia’s Cameron Myers produced a perfectly timed burst to win the Diamond League final.

Myers held his nerve in a tense finish to win in 3:30.14, edging out Kenya’s Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech by just four-hundredths of a second. American Ethan Strand finished third in 3:30.50, with Ingebrigtsen two hundredths back in fourth in 3:30.52.

The result was another challenging ascent for Ingebrigtsen, who is still working hard to come back from Achilles surgery in February. The Norwegian dictated much of the pace and appeared to be in contention for a morale-boosting victory, but was unable to hold off the chasing pack in the final 30 metres.

Hocker, meanwhile, finished eighth in 3:30.80.

After the race, Ingebrigtsen accused his rivals of hiding behind each other and criticized the pace setting strategy. He specifically pointed to the decision regarding Hocker and Christian Jackson, who trains alongside the American.

“Cole, he had the pacemaker replaced and replaced it with his own teammate on behalf of the French pacemaker. Everyone thought he was forcing himself to watch the pacemaker, but it was just a trick. He fooled us all. He decided to hide behind everyone else,” Ingebrigtsen said.

Noro’s frustration finally boiled over in the mixed zone, where he said he was disappointed with both the race and the result.

“I’m very disappointed with the race and the result, I’m racing against a bunch of cowards. That’s how it is,” Ingebrigtsen said after the race.

“Only Cameron (Myers) is a good competitor, everyone else looked like losers, including me.

THE HOCKER MATTER IS RESOLVED: INGEBRIGTSEN

Despite his criticism of Hocker and his team, Ingebrigtsen revealed that he has already spoken to the American about the incident and believes the matter between the two athletes has been resolved.

The Norwegian also questioned why Hocker’s agent became involved in the fallout, insisting the two athletes discussed what happened after the race.

“Cole and I discussed it after the race. As far as we’re concerned, the matter is settled, so I don’t really understand why his agent is getting involved now,” Ingebrigtsen said.

Ingebrigtsen also responded to wider backlash against his comments, suggesting that athletes should be allowed to show emotion after major events.

“If you’re not allowed to show some passion after the race, you should find a sport that doesn’t want an audience,” he said.

For Ingebrigtsen, the apology means a partial omission of his explosive comments in Brussels. He admitted that calling his opponents “a bunch of cowards” was beneath him, but refused to withdraw his central criticism of Hocker’s tactics. And while the Norwegian admitted he simply wasn’t good enough to win the race, he remains convinced the controversy surrounding the pacing strategy was separate from the result itself.

– The end

Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

06 Sep 2026 08:26 IST