Day 3 Recap: Ingebrigtsen v Kerr Is Set & 3 Americans in 1500 Final; Whittaker Makes 800 Final
By LetsRun.com
PARIS — Day three of track & field at the 2024 Olympics is in the books, and it was a good one. Noah Lyles became the first American in 20 years to win the 100 meters in an epic race decided by just five-thousandths of a second (separate article here). We also had the semis of the men’s 1500, where the much-anticipated Josh Kerr-Jakob Ingebrigtsen showdown in Tuesday’s final is now set. The reigning Olympic and world champions will be joined in that final by Cole Hocker, Yared Nuguse, and Hobbs Kessler, marking the first time all three American men have made the final since 1968.
In the women’s 800 semis, gold-medal favorite Keely Hodgkinson looked great in winning her semi #3 in 1:56.86 but US champ Nia Akins could only finish 3rd in that race and failed to advance. The US will have a finalist, however, as 20-year-old Juliette Whittaker, who just wrapped her sophomore year at Stanford, heroically moved from 5th to 3rd in the final straight of heat 2 to run a pb of 1:57.76 to grab a time qualifier to the final.
In the field events, Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchik won the women’s high jump while Canada’s Ethan Katzberg added the Olympic title in the hammer to the world title he won last year in Budapest.
Full recap and analysis below.
Men’s 1500m Semis: Stars shine bright
Heat one had by far the most star power with Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Josh Kerr and Cole Hocker all on the startlist. In typical Jakob fashion, Ingebrigtsen practically walked off the line, with Kerr going right to the front. Ingebrigtsen didn’t make his way to the front until a little later than normal. He was 9th at 300 and had to run the whole 2nd turn out in lane 2 but he passed 8 guys to grab the lead by 400 (60.93).
He then ratcheted down the pace, with Hocker and Kerr in close proximity, running 56.36 for his 2nd 400 and 55.09 for his third. The trio had separated from the field at the bell, and, all ran 40 seconds or faster for the last 300 (40.00 for Jakob) to secure their spots in the final in that order. Also through from the first heat were Kenyan Brian Komen, Stefan Nillessen of the Netherlands, and Arese Pietro of Italy.
The second heat, while lacking the starpower of the first, had a ton of depth. American Yared Nuguse took the lead and never looked back. Dictating the pace the entire run, Nuguse looked amazing, winning the heat in 3:31.97, going 57.22, 58.37, 55.03, 41.10. Countryman Hobbs Kessler finished right behind him in 3:31.97 with British champ Neil Gourley finishing in third. Other qualifiers were Niels Laros of the Netherlands, former world champion Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya, and by the skin of his teeth Narve Nordas of Norway.
A final for the ages is set “He’s going to try and win, I’m going to try and win and we’ll see who wins.”
Ingegbrigtsen vs Kerr and everyone else for the Olympic gold is almost here. And it should be a dandy. Josh Kerr’s media handler had a stop watch running when he stopped to address the media in the mixed zone as she dind’t want him going any longer than 2:30. He didn’t even go that long but he got a lot out. When he was asked what the fans should expect in the final, Kerr said the following:
“They should just be expecting one of the most vicious and hardest 1500s that the sport has seen in a very long time. I’m ready to go after it. I think we all are. There’s been a lot of talking words over the last 10 to 12 months, even two years. So I’m just looking to settle that a little bit on Tuesday and give it my best performance,” said Kerr.
“That’s the big thing, right? You know, I’m here. This my fifth major championship final in a row. I don’t miss these, because I’m good at what I do. And I’m gonna show that in final,” added Kerr.
“I’ve been picturing it for my whole life, so it’s gonna be another day in the office for me. And I’m just looking to put on a performance in front of millions of people that bring the crowds continuously year on year. That’s what we’re here to do is to give our sport the best, the best crowd experiences we can, so it’s my job.”
When he asked what tactics he thought Jakob would try, Kerr nailed it, “He’s going to try and win, I’m going to try and win and we’ll see who wins.”
Quick Take: The stars looked great
In heat one we had arguably the three medal favorites, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Josh Kerr and Cole Hocker. They did not disappoint finishing in that order, and running very fast doing so considering the opening 400 was just under 61 seconds. If Jakob held the pace of his final 1200 for the entire race, that’s 3:27.
In similar fashion, Yared Nuguse ripped a 3:31.97 alone in the other heat. These four men are the favorites to take home the medals, and one of them is going to be the odd man out. With these four in the final it is bound to be fast. If someone wants to push the pace lap one, the Olympic record of 3:28.32 held by Jakob is well in play.
Quick Take: The Americans lived up to expectations, can they continue to do so?
The Americans looked very impressive in the semis finishing 1-2-3 between the two heats. They will be the only country to have three men in the 1500 final. Not Ethiopia, not Kenya, not Great Britain. The U.S. This is something that they have only done once before, all the way back in 1968 in Mexico City. What happened in that final you might ask? Jim Ryun came back home with a silver medal, as Tom Von Ruden finished 9th and Marty Liquori in 12th. This group will be asked to do the exact same thing and come home with a medal.
Hobbs Kessler says he’ll go with the pace in the final
This task for medalling mostly on Nuguse and Hocker, the proven vets who already have the times and accolades of someone ready to make the jump to Olympic medalist, but Kessler who said he “felt smooth and relaxed again” today told LetsRun he wants one as well.
When he was asked if the final is run at 3:28 pace, would he go with it or run from behind and try to steal a medal, he said he is planning going with the pace. “No, I’ll go with the pace I think. I think I’m fit enough to run 3:28. If they are closing in 54 to run 3:28, I can’t close in 53 so I need to be up there with them and in position.”
Narve Nordås is ready give it his all in the final and doing his best to stay of the world-famous LetsRun.com messageboard
We were the only English-speaking media members to talk to Narve Nordås, last year’s bronze medallist who had to work to make take the final qualifying spot in heat #2 in 3:32.34, 0.15 ahead of Anass Essayi of Morocco and South Carolina. He greeted us warmly with a smile and deadpanned, “[Gotta] avoid the messageboard — that’s toxic for the championships.”
(Editor’s note, we’re not sure exactly what word he used where we put gotta in parentheses).
After asking him about this race, we asked him to clarify what he meant when it was reported the other day that he told Josh Kerr “beat my countryman.” That quote was later corrected to “you can beat my countryman.”
Nordas explained he was just complimenting Kerr for his fitness.
“He ran a great prelim, or heat I should say, so he looked really strong. And what I meant was, ‘You can fight for the gold medal.’ I was really meaning Jakob was the man to beat and I think you’re really good now and you can really fight up there with him,” said Nordås.
As for the final, Nordås wants it to be fast. Hopefully somebody’s going to take it out in 3:29 pace and I can just try to hang on for dear life and hopefully run for a medal.”
He also said he thinks Gjert Ingebrigtsen would be rooting for both Nordås and Jakob Ingebrigtsen. “Yeah, I would imagine so I mean. He’s Norwegian and from the same place and [it’s] his son so yeah, I’m really imagine that he’s rooting for both of us.”
Women’s 800 Semis
The big news in the women’s 800 semis was that 2024 world #2 Jemma Reekie of Great Britain (1;55.61 sb) didn’t advance to the finals, nor did Americanl Nia Akins — whom we had anointed as our #2 American US mid-d/distance medal hopeful before the Olympics.
In the first heat it was Jamaican Natoya Goule, the 5th fastest woman in the world in 2024 at 1:56.83, who took the lead for the first 400. Reigning world champ Mary Moraa of Kenya made her way up the field stalking Goule until she jumped into the lead with 100 to go bringing Ethiopian Worknesh Mesele with her. Goule would falter in the final 100, meaning she will not medal in her 9th straight global championship (0 for 9), with Moraa holding on for the heat win in 1:57.86 with Mesele, a 3:57 1500 runner, taking the second automatic qualifier spot in 1:58.06. It was Mesele’s 2nd straight pb but a tiny one as she ran 1:58.07 in the first round after coming in with a 1:58.71 pb that dated to 2021.
The second heat was taken out hard by world indoor champ Tsige Duguma of Ethiopia in 56.8 as Jemma Reekie of Great Britain pulled up beside her and was stride by stride for the next 200. Reekie would falter in the last 100 as Duguma would hold on, running 1:57.47 and dragging three women to qualify behind her, with former Arkansas Razorback Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines taking the second auto spot in a pb of 1:57.59 (previouis pb of 1:58.23). NCAA champ Juliette Whittaker of the US nabbed the first time qualifying spot with a PB of 1:57.76 (previous pb of 1:58.45) and France’s Renelle Lamote took the second in 1:57.78.
The last heat was dictated by gold medal favorite Keely Hodgkinson. She led gun to tape, coming through in 57.47 and never looking back, winning her heat in 1:56.86, the quickest time of the day. South African Prudence Sekgodiso who followed her the final lap was rewarded with the second automatic qualifying spot.
Quick take: Nia Akins didn’t have a good explanation for why she didn’t make the final
Akins finished 6th last year at Worlds in a personal best of 1:57.73 and this year appeared to level up winning USAs in a PB of 1:57.36. However, Akins did not make the final on Sunday night and was at a loss for a good explanation as to what happened.
“I raced it to the best of my ability, stayed out of trouble, moved at all the right times, just some good competition out there and it just wasn’t my day,” she said.
Akins said mentally she was in a good spot and the nerves of the Oympics had not gotten to her. “It hasn’t really like settled in I’m at the Olympics, which I think is really good. I haven’t been really nervous. I’ve been just kind of showing up and doing what I did at Trials and before that, so that’s been really positive and really good practice for future champs.”
She added, “I think mentally I was way more prepared for this than I was for Worlds last year. And I think having done Worlds last year, it helps me just kind of toe the line with a little bit more peace. And I think I’ve reached a point in my faith to where I’m like ‘Well, [if] it’s not God’s will, it’s not God’s will’ and that’s just unfortunately the luck of the draw so if He doesn’t want if for me, I don’t want it for me either.”
Nia said her training had gone well. “I didn’t know where my fitness was [exactly]. I feel like my training has gone a lot better since USAs, so I’m a little surprised. I thought I’d be more up there to be honest. but I gave it all I had.”
In the last year, Shafiqua Maloney was struggling at times to have food to eat and didn’t have a home, now she’s in the Olympic final
If you want to be inspired, learn about Shafiqua Maloney of St Vincent and the Grenadines. At Arkansas, Maloney was an SEC champ with a career best finish of 3rd at NCAAs (3rd indoors in 2022) and a 2:01.22. But that’s not the type of CV that gets you a sponsorship. Between August and February, she didn’t have a place of her own to call home. While homeless, she slept at various people’s places and even for a few hours had nowhere to go — a time she immortalized by taking a picture of herself with a peach sign while on the street so she would never forget the hardships she overcame. After running the Olympic standard indoors, some sponsors in St. Vincent and the Grenadines chipped in and she now has an apartment of her own.
And now she’s rewarded them by becoming what we believe is the first athlete from her country (population 103,948) to make an Olympic track final. Maloney, who started the year with a 1:59.94 pb, did it by running her 12th national record of the year — a 1:57.59 in the Olympics. Yes, that’s right — 12 different national records in 2024.
Here are her national records this year:
January 12 – 2:41.22 indoor 1k in Arkanasas
February 10 – 1:58.69 indoor 800 in Arkansas
April 6 – 1:23.80 600 in Florida
April 10 – 50.94 400 at Arkansas
April 12 – 4:15.30 1500 in Florida
April 19 – 4:14.60 1500 in Arkansas
May 3 – 50.75 400 at Arkansas
May 18 – 1:59.77 outdoor 800 in California
May 31 – 1:59.31 800 in Atlanta
July 14 – 50.63 in Italy
August 2 – 1:58.23 800 heat in Paris
August 3 – 1:57.59 800 semi in Paris
Maloney gave props to her coach (whom we believe is Arkansas’ Chris Johnson) for always believing in her and for the people back home who have been praying for her and helping her financially.
“I think the country played a big part and people in the country, whether monetary donation, prayers, you know, good luck, whatever the case is my country has been carrying me and I’m glad to be here here to represent them. I think I’m the first person from our country to make an Olympic final. So that in itself is an accomplishment. But you know, the job isn’t done yet.”
In the end, she thinks her hardships have made her stronger.
“Going to the Olympics is much easier than what I went through. And if I could get through what I went through, I could I could get through the Olympics, and I’m getting through it. So you know, I think everything that happened prepared me for that is happening now. It’s made me stronger. And it’s made me fight for what I want. The last 150 of this semi final, you know, I’ve had to fight a lot and it’s translated into my races. I have to fight for what I want. I haven’t always had an easy I don’t expect anything to come easy to me and I’m gonna work and I’m gonna keep working,” said Maloney.
As for her goals for the final, Maloney said, “Make something shake. I made it to the final. We’re gonna make something shake.”
Women’s High Jump: Yaroslava Mahuchikh wins Gold
In unsurprising fashion it was world record holder Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine who won the high jump. Mahuchikh was not pressured much, as she cleared 2.00m without a miss. Australian Nicola Olyslagers also cleared 2.00m but on her third attempt and finished second. Iryna Gerashchenko of Ukraine and Eleanor Patterson of Australia shared the bronze medal, clearing 1.95 m.
Men’s Hammer Final: Ethan Katzberg snags Gold
Ethan Katzberg dominated the field, becoming the youngest ever hammer gold medalist, and first ever gold medalist in this event for Canada, throwing 84.12m on his first throw to win. Behind him was Bence Halasz of Hungary in second and Mykhaylo Kokhan of Ukraine in third.
Men’s 400 Round 1
The big news in the men’s 400 was that Steven Gardiner, the reigning Olympic champion who has been dealing with injuries all year, withdrew from the competition before the first round.
There were no negative surprises once the gun was fired as all the big names advanced to the semifinals. American Michael Norman led the charge, winning heat two in 44.10–the fastest time of the day, and a season’s best. World leader, Matthew Hudson-Smith advanced easily as well, winning the first heat in 44.78.
