BIRMINGHAM, England — Jakob Ingebrigtsen showed plenty of kick on his comeback from injury by winning his fourth consecutive 5,000-meter title at the European championships Monday.
The two-time Olympic champion from Norway hadn’t raced since having surgery early this year to clean up scar tissue on the protective sheath around his left Achilles tendon.
With less than 100 meters to go, Ingebrigtsen was in third place before accelerating to the front and passing Florian Bremm of Germany in the final 50 meters to cross the line in 13 minutes, 15:29 seconds. Bremm was second followed by France’s Etienne Daguinos.
Ingebrigtsen is not racing in the 1,500 meters in Birmingham. He’s won both the 1,500 and 5,000 at the past three European championships.
The Achilles problem seemed to be a factor in Ingebrigtsen’s performance at last September’s world championships in Tokyo, where he failed to advance out of the first round of the 1,500 and finished 10th in the 5,000 final.
Three-peat for Schilder in women’s shot put
PHOTOS: Ingebrigtsen wins 5,000m gold at European championships in return from surgery
Netherlands star Jessica Schilder made it three in a row in the shot put, taking gold with a throw of 20.73 meters at Alexander Stadium.
The reigning world champion’s teammate Jorinde van Klinken (19.64) won silver, and 2024 Olympic champion Yemisi Mabry (19.50) of Germany was third.
Schilder is the only woman this decade to surpass 21 meters when she threw 21.09 at the Shanghai Diamond League in May.
Schilder won gold at the past two European championships: 2024 in Rome and 2022 in Munich.
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