"I am not afraid to lose"- Jakob Ingebrigtsen makes heartfelt admission after disappointing campaign at the World Championships 

Jakob Ingebrigtsen opened up about his thoughts after missing out on the medals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The Olympic gold medalist could not qualify for the finals in the men's 1500m and finished 10th in the 5000m finals.

The Norwegian athlete shared that he was struggling throughout the world championships and expressed that he was not feeling at his best. Moreover, Jakob Ingebrigtsen faced major injury struggles in the 2025 outdoor season, which led him to directly compete at the world championships while skipping all the outdoor races.

The 24-year-old reflected on his performance at the World Championships in his latest YouTube video and shared how it takes a lot of hard work to be able to consistently perform at the global level against some of the best athletes in the world. Despite his struggles with injury, Ingebrigtsen competed in the event rather than withdrawing from the biggest event of the year.

"It's very much the same, just experience, but also nice to realize that you really have to do a lot of work to be able to have a top level and be consistent, running fast. I think most people would stay home, and I think that's for me; that's an issue, but for everybody else, that's what they expected. That's what everybody else would've done," he said.(17:42 onwards)

Furthermore, Jakob Ingebrigtsen expressed that he was afraid of not putting forward his best performance rather than losing on the global stage.

"I am not afraid to lose, I'm more afraid of not doing my best. On Sunday, that was definitely a realisation of fear; I was having such a bad day, and I was not able to do what I thought I should've done," he said.

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Jakob Ingebrigtsen opens up after his 10th-place finish in the 5000m

Jakob Ingebrigtsen on Day 9 - World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: Getty

Jakob Ingebrigtsen expressed his thoughts after his 10th-place finish at the world championships with a short message on Instagram. The Norwegian athlete expressed his gratitude for being able to compete on the global stage against an incredible set of athletes.

He expressed his joy in being able to compete and shared how he enjoyed testing himself on the track despite many adversities.

"Go big or go home! 🇳🇴🙌 The only thing worse than finishing 10th would have been watching the World Championships happen from home. I run because I love competition, and I will never miss an opportunity to test myself against the best. Thank you to everyone for the support these past few challenging months," he wrote.

Ingebrigtsen thanked his fans for their unwavering support and shared that he will be working hard to make a strong comeback in the next season.