BIRMINGHAM : Jakob Ingebrigtsen said he was disappointed by Josh Kerr’s decision to skip the European Championships, arguing that the absence of top athletes from major events was damaging the sport.
Kerr, who broke the 27-year-old mile world record with a time of 3:42.66 at the London Diamond League in July, followed that with 1,500 metres gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow earlier this month.
The Briton opted to miss the European Championships in Birmingham to manage his workload.
“Very – and I think a lot of people should be, because that is what championships are all about,” Ingebrigtsen told the BBC when asked about Kerr’s absence.
“It’s not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate. We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete – that is the whole point.
“So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating.”
Ingebrigtsen, a double Olympic champion, retained his European 5,000 metres title earlier this week but is not competing in the 1,500 metres in Birmingham.
“We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position,” the Norwegian said.
Ingebrigtsen and Kerr have developed a fierce rivalry in recent years, with the Norwegian previously dismissing his British rival as “just the next guy”, while Kerr has highlighted weaknesses in Ingebrigtsen’s game.
Kerr’s management did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular U.K. business hours.
