For three minutes on Thursday, Jakob Ingebrigtsen was right where he wanted to be. But the last 29 seconds belonged to Yared Nuguse.
At the Zurich Diamond League 1500 meters, Nuguse inched up on Ingebrigtsen’s shoulder with 150 meters to go and finally passed him in the final 50 meters, winning in a time of 3:29.21.
Ingebrigtsen finished in 3:29.52 for second place, followed by Cole Hocker in third (3:30.46).
The event was a nearly-identical rematch of the Olympic final on August 6; eight of the 12 finalists from Paris were in Zurich, including all three medalists.
But unlike Paris, the race had two pacemakers, Zan Rudolf and Eliott Giles, the latter of who led the field through the first 1,100 meters, with Ingebrigtsen, Nuguse, Josh Kerr, and Hocker following in line.
With a lap to go, Ingebrigtsen and Nuguse had a small lead on the field. Kerr led the chase pack and tried to bridge the gap on the back stretch, but he couldn’t fully close it. Then Nuguse made his move and Hocker—whose deadly kick won him gold in Paris—was too little, too late.
Nuguse, in only his second year as a pro, put together an impressive season, highlighted by an Olympic bronze medal in the 1500. He’s only raced once since the Games, on September 1 at a road mile in Düsseldorf, Germany, where he took second to Giles.
Nuguse said after the race that he would like to race at the Diamond League final on September 13 in Brussels, Belgium.
He told media he knew Thursday’s race would be fast and wide-open, but he had a lot of fun navigating the field and it felt like a different vibe than the Olympics. “It is definitely a lot less stressful,” he said. “The Olympics were like a huge milestone and when you got over it, it just felt like fun racing. It is so much more fun running with these guys today.”
But make no mistake, the bronze in Paris—the first outdoor medal for 25-year-old—was self-assuring. “Getting the medal at the Olympics just gave me more self-confidence in who I am and now I know what I can achieve,” he said. “I mean, nothing has really changed, but the way I feel about myself has changed. So definitely it is a positive thing.”
Hocker noted after the race the differences between championship-style racing, like the Olympics, and the Diamond League circuit. “Tactically, it is always more difficult when you have a pacer, but it makes it interesting nevertheless,” he said. “In races like this, with such a field, it makes you appreciate even more when you win or do well.”
This week, Hocker and Nuguse were announced as the latest members of Grand Slam Track’s athlete roster. The league, which will begin in 2025, places athletes into event groups. Hocker and Nuguse now join Kerr as three of the four “Racer” spots in the 800/1500-meter category.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
