If what he says is to be believed, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the world’s pre-eminent miler, has suffered some extraordinary bad luck at inopportune moments over recent years.
A day after he was unexpectedly downed by Britain’s Jake Wightman at the 2022 world championships, the Norwegian Olympic 1500m champion tested positive for Covid. When Wightman’s compatriot Josh Kerr repeated the trick the following year, Ingebrigtsen explained that he had again been suffering from illness in the days leading into the race. Two global finals, two silver medals and two ailments.
