Brash 1500m champion draws claims of arrogance after dropping way behind pack in heat run

PARIS: In the lead-up to the Paris Olympics, Norwegian middle-distance freak Jakob Ingebrigtsen made huge statements with his mouth, even declaring he could beat Great Britain's Josh Kerr, the reigning men's 1500m world champion, "blindfolded".

In Ingebrigtsen's one appearance on the Stade de France track at these Games so far, he made another huge statement, but instead of running his mouth, he toyed with the field.

Ingebrigtsen will contest the 1500m semi-finals on the purple Paris track on Monday morning (AEST), as he chases back-to-back Olympic gold medals in the metric mile.

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The fashion in which the 23-year-old booked his spot in the semis was extraordinary.

Every one of Ingebrigtsen's competitors did the usual forward-lean on the start line, bracing themselves for the sound of the gun, but he remained upright and sauntered off the line, instantly gifting his rivals a lead of about 15 metres.

He remained at the back of the pack until the bell sounded, then began navigating traffic as he worked his way up the field.

With about 200 metres to go, he went wide, burst through the field for about 100 metres, and put himself in third place — the top six would earn a place in the semis — before backing off again and looking around as he dawdled over the line, finishing third in a slow heat.

Ingebrigtsen's race start left commentator Tim Hutchings stunned.

"Look how nonchalant that was by Jakob Ingebrigtsen!" Hutchings said.

"I think this is a dangerous tactic from Ingebrigtsen," he added as Ingebrigtsen made a move with about 200 metres remaining.

"It's one thing being confident, but when do you then cross the line to being cocky?"

Although Ingebrigtsen won Olympic 1500m gold in Tokyo, he was upstaged in the metric mile at both the 2022 and 2023 world championships, losing to Jake Wightman and Josh Kerr, both of whom are British.

No one competing currently has run as fast a 1500m as Ingebrigtsen, whose personal best of 3:26.73, recorded last month, is the fourth-fastest time in history.

Ingebrigtsen will line up in the first of two semi-final heats in Paris on Monday morning (AEST), alongside Kerr.

The top six in each heat will progress to the final.