In Pictures: Josh Kerr prepares for highly anticipated clash against arch-rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen ahead of Prefontaine Classic 2024

Josh Kerr has shared glimpses of his practice sessions ahead of a showdown against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, with just a couple of days left for his outdoor season opener at the Prefontaine Classic.

Kerr rose to fame when he defeated Ingebrigtsen at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest by clocking in at 3:29.38 in 1500m. An Olympic bronze medalist, he also earned the 3000m gold at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.

At the Millrose Games this year, Kerr smashed the indoor two-mile record by flying past rivals in 8:00.67. The record was previously held by Mo Farah, the legendary retired long-distance runner from Britain.

Ingebrigsten, meanwhile, was a dominant force at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he set the Olympic and European record in the 1500m, leaving Kerr behind. He currently has two Indoor world records in the 2000m and 1500m and two European records in the 5000m and the mile.

Fresh off an Achilles tendon injury, Jakob Ingebrigsten will once again go up against Josh Kerr, who took to his social media to offer a sneak peek into his training.

Kerr wrote:

"Stop chasing, get fit and let the races come to you"

At the recently concluded Oregon Relays, the 1500m specialist ran in the 800m dash and posted a timing of 1:45.9 to secure victory.

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Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigsten have spoke about each other in the past

The two talented track specialists have been on and off with their opinions on each other. In one of Norway TV2's interviews, Ingebrigtsen made the following remark on Kerr:

"I would have beaten him in that race, blindfolded. But it’s good that people run better than they have done before."

Kerr also spoke about the rivalry, saying (via The Guardian):

"Myself and Jake Wightman have shown where those flaws are. And I think he has some flaws in the manners realm as well."

He later added:

"He also wants to be the best in the world and so do I, and that’s going to make us clash 10 times out of 10. I’ll always have respect for his performances. I was merely pointing out that he has flaws, and I don’t think he knew that."

The duo will go up against each other in the Bowerman Mile in Eugene before the Prefontaine Classic on May 25. The event will also feature several other athletes from all track categories.

Following these two events, Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigsten will clash at the Paris Olympics in the 1500m event on August 6.