Sawt Falasteen - Injury-hit Ingebrigtsen fails to advance in world 1,500m

Ingebrigtsen, who won Olympic 1,500m gold in the Japanese capital in 2021 but was searching for a first world title over the distance, has been laid low with an achilles injury that has seen him miss all of the outdoor season.

In his heat at the National Stadium, things seemed as normal as Ingebrigtsen fell into his usual spot at the back of the pack.

But coming into the final lap, the 24-year-old was boxed in on the inside with seemingly little room to manoeuvre.

As it was, Ingebrigtsen had nothing to offer acceleration-wise and eventually finished eighth in a heat won by Britain's Jake Wightman.

Only the top six from each of the four heats qualify for Monday's semi-finals, with the final set for Wednesday.

Wightman and compatriot Josh Kerr have dashed Ingebrigtsen's title hopes in the past two world championships over 1,500m in Eugene and Budapest.

The question now is whether Ingebrigtsen, who picked up his injury after completing a rare world indoor double over 1,500m and 3,000m in Nanjing in March, bids for a third world title in the 5,000m, with heats scheduled for Friday and final on Sunday.

H.Jarrar--SF-PST