SAINT-DENIS, France -- There will come a time late on Tuesday night in Paris, with one bend left of the men's 1500 meters, when the drama will reach a climax. Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen will probably be leading, Britain's Josh Kerr will likely be on his shoulder, but at the finish line, there will be even more than a gold medal.
There will be bragging rights at the finish as much as any hardware. The two share a personal rivalry to match any other at these Games, one that has caused IAAF president Seb Coe to call it a "race for the ages."
It is the repeated public taunts that have added drama to this race. Ingebrigtsen excused a loss to Kerr by saying he was sick, and insists when fully healthy he could win "blindfolded." For his part, Kerr has said his counterpart lacks manners and is surrounded by "yes men."
Come Tuesday night, there will be eight highly talented runners, but mostly it will be Kerr vs. Ingebrigtsen.
"We know we want that kind of thing [rivalry] in the sport. So it really could be a race for the ages," Coe said.
THE FEUD STARTED last August at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary. That time, Ingebrigtsen led for much of the race, as is his usual style, but Kerr stayed close and beat him at the finish. Ingebrigtsen responded by saying he was sick.
In response to that, Kerr said on the "Sunday Plodcast" how Ingebrigtsen seems to win only when someone tries to stay up next to him at the front (which acts like a pacemaker). In more tactical races, Kerr said he has the best of him.
"I'm like, 'You've won so many races, you ran fantastic all season that you're just on this -- you must be surrounded by so many yes-men that you don't realise that you have weaknesses.' And I think that was part of his downfall," Kerr said. "If he doesn't realize that he's got some real major weaknesses, then he will not win the 1500 meter gold medal next year. And you know, I'm OK with that ... I would love for him to be listening to this."
As it turned out, Ingebrigtsen was, and his response poured fuel on the fire.
"I would have beaten him in that race blindfolded," the Norwegian said. "But it's good that people run better than they have done before."
Since then, the pair have raced against each other only once, as they went head-to-head in the Bowerman Mile at the Prefontaine Classic in May.
It ended in a Kerr victory.
The feud has spilled over at these Olympics. Ingebrigtsen labelled Kerr as the "Brit who does not compete," referencing how Kerr has not competed in a single 1500 meter event this year. Kerr said Ingebrigtsen can have his opinion and that he will define himself on the track.
It is amid this soap opera backdrop that the 1500 meters has been contended in Paris. On Sunday, Kerr and Ingebrigtsen were put into the same semifinal. It was a similar story: Ingebrigtsen leading, Kerr mounting a chase from behind. By the time they reached the line, they were neck-and-neck.
Neither one was running at full speed by the end, given it was only a semifinal. But how will it play on Tuesday when the gold medal and much more is on the line?
"Fans should expect the most competitive 1500 meter the sport has seen in a long time," Kerr said after the semifinal. "There's been a lot of talking words over the last few years.
"I'm looking to settle that on Tuesday."
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