Sawt Falasteen - Ingebrigtsen coy on return to competition

Ingebrigtsen picked up an Achilles tendon injury after claiming a rare world indoor double over 1,500m and 3,000m in Nanjing earlier this year.

"My injury was just an irritation in the Achilles tendon," Ingebrigtsen told AFP on the sidelines of the Oslo Diamond League, which he will miss.

"So the injury itself is not that critical. But if you're not cautious and don't take it that seriously, it can develop to be something serious. And of course, I'm not interested in that.

"I want to be on the track next year as well. So if it was just before a big championship, of course, it would be different. Then I would just take the risk and push through it. But there's no reason to risk it in April, May. The championship is late in September."

Ingebrigtsen added: "I will get a lot of answers the next two weeks. Luckily for me, there is a big free period of competitions mid-July to mid-August, so I can focus on training.

"But if I'm going to do any competitions before that, I'm not sure.

"Physically, it's very good. Now it's all about adapting the legs and getting back to normal load. But at the same time, the build-up is always a critical period because you want to have as fast an increase in the build-up with load and the pace as possible."

Ingebrigtsen won gold in the world championships over 5,000m in 2022 and 2023. After pocketing the Olympic gold in the 1,500m in Tokyo in 2021, he also won the 5,000m title at last summer's Paris Games.

But he has twice had to do with world 1,500m silvers, saying "the most important thing is to maximise my chances" come that event in Tokyo.

"I'm a big competitor, so I really enjoy all different competitions. Not only the biggest one, but also the low-key competitions, pre-season, mid-season, and also afterwards," he said.

"That's why I also do a lot of indoor races and also cross-country. Because I really enjoy competitions, and I really enjoy fighting to win against the best runners in the world. So that's what I'm going to do."

M.Qasim--SF-PST