Athletics-Ingebrigtsen collects record sixth European gold (updated)
13/06/2024 05:27
(Adds other results, quotes in paragraphs 7-11)
ROME, June 12 (Reuters) - Norway's Olympic champion
Jakob Ingebrigtsen won the 1,500 metres in Rome on Wednesday for
a record sixth European Championship gold.
The 23-year-old charged down the final metres and was all by
himself when he crossed the finish in 3:31.95, a championship
record, to become the most decorated male athlete ever in the
continental championship.
Belgian Jochem Vermeulen took the second spot on the podium
in 3:33.30 while Italian Pietro Arese was third in 3:33.34.
"Today it's about winning. At the same time, I'm looking for
answers in every single question I'm asked. Today I got a lot of
good answers," he told a Norwegian broadcaster.
Ingebrigtsen is expected to form one of the most compelling
rivalries of this year's Paris Olympics against Briton Josh
Kerr, who denied him the gold in Budapest last year.
Ingebrigtsen hurled himself over the finish to win last
month's Oslo Diamond League meet, after finishing second to Kerr
over the mile race days earlier at the Prefontaine Classic.
In the women's long jump, Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo
of Germany produced the second-best jump of her career, soaring
to a world-leading 7.22m to take home her second European gold
medal.
"The 7.22m was close to a perfect jump, I hit the board
well. But the headwind was disturbing, so the result could have
been even better," Mihambo said.
Armand Duplantis continued his impressive form ahead of his
Olympic pole vault title defence by winning his third European
gold but the Swede fell short in another bid to break his own
world record of 6.24m.
The 24-year-old clinched victory with 5.97m before
clearing 6.10m to set a championship record. He then had the bar
raised to 6.25m but failed to clear it.
Hosts Italy won the men's 4x100m, with Olympic champion
Lamont Marcell Jacobs adding to his win in the 100m on Saturday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York, additional reporting by
Tommy Lund and Aadi Nair; Editing by Toby Davis, Peter
Rutherford)
((Amy.Tennery@thomsonreuters.com; 917-361-8594;))