Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the double Olympic champion, expressed a partial apology for labeling his men’s 1500m rivals as “losers” and a “bunch of cowards” following an intense Diamond League final on Friday. Despite his apology, Ingebrigtsen maintained that Cole Hocker, the Olympic 1500m champion, acted cowardly during the race by requesting a strong pace and using his own pacemaker, only to later conceal himself behind others in the competition.

In a statement released on Saturday, Ingebrigtsen stated, “I shouldn’t have called anyone losers. I apologise for that. It was beneath me... But I stand by what I said about Cole and his team acting cowardly.” He emphasized the importance of athletes fulfilling their commitments to the crowd and meeting organizers, regardless of personal outcomes.

Finishing fourth with a time of 3min 30.52sec, behind Cameron Myers of Australia, Ingebrigtsen described his performance as “shitty, terrible and extremely disappointing.” He criticized fellow competitors for not adhering to the agreed race strategy.

Following the race, Ingebrigtsen claimed to have spoken with Hocker and resolved their differences, but tensions resurfaced when Hocker's agent, Ray Flynn, accused Ingebrigtsen of being a “whiny runner.” Flynn's comments suggested that Ingebrigtsen’s complaints were disrespectful to his competitors.

Ingebrigtsen responded, asserting that his remarks promote passion in the sport and questioned the need for Flynn’s involvement. He is set to potentially face Hocker again at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest, where he may focus on the 5,000m instead of the 1500m.