Olympic Track and Field 2021: Men's 1,500m Medal Winners, Times and Results
August 7, 2021
Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen set a new Olympic record with a winning time of 3:28.32 to capture the gold medal in the men's 1,500 meters Saturday at Japan National Stadium in Tokyo.
Ingebrigtsen, who previously won gold in the event at the 2018 European Championships and 2021 European Indoor Championships, is a first-time medalist in the Summer Olympics.
Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot earned the silver medal, while Great Britain's Josh Kerr took third for bronze in a race that saw the top three finishers separated by less than eight-tenths of a second.
Here's a look at the full race results:
1. Jakob Ingebrigtsen (NOR, 3:28.32)
2. Timothy Cheruiyot (KEN, 3:29.01)
3. Josh Kerr (GBR, 3:29.05)
4. Abel Kipsang (KEN, 3:29.56)
5. Adel Mechaal (ESP, 3:30.77)
6. Cole Hocker (USA, 3:31.40)
7. Stewart McSweyn (AUS, 3:31.91)
8. Michal Rozmys (POL, 3:32.67)
9. Jake Heyward (GBR, 3:34.43)
10. Jake Wightman (GBR, 3:35.09)
11. Ollie Hoare (AUS, 3:35.79)
12. Charles Grethen (LUX, 3:36.80)
13. Ignacio Fontes (ESP, 3:38.56)
Ingebrigtsen surged to the front of the field with a strong 56.2-second split in the first 400 meters.
Cheruiyot, the 2019 world champion in the event, took over the lead at the 800- and 1,200-meter checkpoints, but the 20-year-old Norwegian ran the final 300 meters in a blistering 40.8 seconds to retake the lead in an Olympic thriller.
It's the first time Ingebrigtsen has beaten Cheruiyot in 13 career meetings, per Jonathan Gault of LetsRun.com.
He also becomes the first Norwegian runner to win a medal in the 1,500 meters at the Olympics.
"I've been struggling with eating for the last couple of weeks because I have been waiting so long for this race," Ingebrigtsen told reporters. "This is what you want as a professional runner. I've been able to [win gold] first try, and I feel like I am just getting started. But at the same time, I have been dreaming of this for my whole life. It's great."
Kerr, 23, reached the podium for the first time in a major race at the senior level. He won the 1,500 meters at the European Junior Championships in 2015.
Hocker, the U.S.' only finalist in the race, posted a personal-best time to finish sixth.