JOSH KERR has come under attack from athletics rival Jakob Ingebrigtsen – as the Scotsman was told his decision to skip the European Championship was “ruining the sport”.

Last month the US-based athlete set a world record for the men’s mile in Stratford – he smashed the previous best from 1999 – in one of the feats of the year.

APTOPIX Britain European Championships AthleticsNorway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen races to win the gold medal in the men’s 5,000 meters final at the European Athletics Championships Credit: AP 2026 Commonwealth Games Day 10, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland - 01 Aug 2026Josh Kerr of Scotland celebrates winning the Mens one mile final and holds a Scotland flag Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

A few weeks later, he went to Glasgow and claimed gold in front of home fans over the same distance at the Games.

Kerr, 28, has regrets that he is not in Birmingham for the seven-day Euros but said: “You can’t hold that peak for that long.

“I need to go back to the drawing board a little bit and give myself a bit of a rest. Or else I’m going to be flying close to the sun here.”

However, his no-show at the Alexander Stadium has not gone down well with Norwegian superstar Ingebrigtsen, who has expressed his disappointment.

Ingebrigtsen, 25, secured a stunning 5,000 metres gold last Monday, becoming the joint-most successful athlete in European Championships history.

It followed a spell of 11 months of inactivity, during which he underwent surgery on his Achilles.

In a chat with the , Ingebrigtsen said: “Of course I am going to go for times, but I don’t think you have to do one or the other.”

Great Britain's gold medalist Josh Kerr shakes hands with silver medalist Norway?s Jakob Ingebrigtsen during the medal ceremony for the Men's 1500 Metres on day seven of the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest,Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen are no strangers to controversy Credit: Alamy

Asked if he was disappointed Kerr was not in Birmingham, he added: “Very. And I think a lot of people should be, because that is what championships are all about.

“It’s not for us as athletes to choose almost where to participate.

“We have these championships for a reason, and that is for the best athletes to compete – that is the whole point.

“So I definitely think it is ruining the sport if we are not participating. We all have different plans, but I could never see myself in that position.”

The pair’s rivalry dates back to 2023 when with 200 metres to go as he claimed the 1500 metres title in Budapest.

The trash talk intensified as they built up to the Paris 2024 Olympics – though both running giants were beaten to gold at the Stade de by surprise American winner Cole Hocker.

Though Kerr only managed a silver in Paris, he looked almost delighted that Ingebrigtsen had missed out on a medal altogether.

Relations had cooled since then, especially as the Norwegian was sidelined through injury.

But he announced his return to the track in spectacular style this week.
Ingebrigtsen claimed Kerr’s record-breaking run was an “extremely good race” and “a very strong performance”.