The final of the men’s 1500 meters takes place at 2:50 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Norwegian middle-distance running sensation Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the betting favorite for 1500-meter gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. On DraftKings Sportsbook on Aug. 6, the Norwegian had -135 betting odds, while rival Josh Kerr of the U.K. was +110. Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker of the U.S. were +1100 and +1200, respectively.
Ingebrigtsen, 23, set a new personal best in the 1500 meters with a time of 3:26.73 at a Diamond League meet in Monaco on July 12. He’s the fourth-fastest man in history over the distance and his recent time was the sixth-fastest performance ever.
Ingebrigtsen won gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with a time of 3:28.32, but he lost in the 1500 meters at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, finishing second to Kerr’s 3:29.38.
Kerr also beat Ingebrigtsen earlier this summer in a one-mile run at the Prefontaine Classic, but Ingebrigtsen wasn’t in peak form due to recovery from an injury.
After setting a new personal best earlier this month in Monaco, Ingebrigtsen appears to be back in shape and ready to defend his Olympic gold medal.
Kerr is known as a great strategic racer and arguably has a better kick than Ingebrigtsen, but the Brit’s personal best in the 1500 meters, 3:29.05, is far slower.
Could a world record fall in the event at the Paris Olympics? It’s possible.
Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco set the world record of 3:26.00 way back in 1998, making it one of the oldest world records in the sport.
The absence of pace setters in the Olympic final will be a problem for Ingebrigtsen attempting to break El Guerrouj’s mark. Ingebrigtsen already has the 1500-meter Olympic record.
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