Munich (Germany) (AFP) - Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the European 1,500m title in Munich on Thursday to seal a back-to-back distance double.
The 21-year-old Norwegian, who dominated the 5,000m on Tuesday, was also in total control of the 1,500m, clocking a championship record of 3min 32.76sec for his second gold of the continental track and field showpiece event.
Ingebrigtsen's victory sealed a remarkable triumph, having won the same 1,500-5,000 European double as a 17-year-old in Berlin in 2018.
Britain's Jake Heyward claimed silver in 3:34.44, with Spain's Mario Garcia taking bronze in 3:34.88.
"I felt I have this speed in my legs today so I wanted to go fast from the beginning.I wanted to have a fast race and I wanted to win," Ingebrigtsen said.
"Also, when I heard the great home crowd cheering for us and I also saw so many Norwegian flags in the stands, it was a great motivation for me today.
"The fans here are just awesome.The rain - it feels almost like at home.Rain feels good."
Ingebrigtsen added: "I am very glad I managed this double and the championships record is a nice bonus.
"I feel in shape, it feels good tonight.Now, straight back to training and I hope for some more good races before the end of the season."
Ingebrigtsen, who won 1,500m silver and 5,000m gold at last month's world championships in Oregon, set out his stall early on in a gun-to-tape victory in the rain at Munich's Olympic Stadium.
With a number of known fast finishers in the field, the Norwegian moved into the lead early on in the race, setting a punishing pace that immediately split the pack into single file.
After a fast 56.4sec first lap, Ingebrigtsen kept up the unrelenting rhythm, Garcia perched on his shoulder.
As he raced through the bell for the final lap, the Norwegian looked untouchable and at 200m, a further burst of speed saw him pull clear away into the final straight for a memorable win.
Heyward produced a final spurt of his own to edge Garcia for silver.
"I think Jakob was a little bit away at the finish but I am happy with my race," said Heyward, who is in his first senior season and didn't compete at the worlds in Eugene.
"I wanted to push Jakob today, that's why I ran faster in the beginning."
Garcia added that the result was almost a foregone conclusion.
"I don't think there is anything I could have done to stop Jakob from winning the gold medal," the Spaniard said.
"He is the best in the world right now, and the rest of us are just not able to be at that level.The good thing is that I have him as a reference now, and I can plan my work around it - to improve in the next years."
