Who is Jakob Ingebrigtsen
The short answer
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, born in 2000 in Sandnes, Norway, is a middle and long distance runner who won Olympic gold in the 1500 m in Tokyo 2020 and the 5000 m in Paris 2024, plus several world and European titles. He trains with the Norwegian method of controlled threshold work.
Jakob grew up training alongside his older brothers Henrik and Filip, both European champions. Their father Gjert coached all three until 2022. After that Jakob and his brothers have run their own set-up, still built on the same principles. In 2025 and early 2026 an Achilles problem kept him off the track for long periods, and he had surgery in February 2026. He came back to win the European 5000 m title in August 2026, his fourth in a row.
The Norwegian method in his training
The method was developed by Marius Bakken and refined in Norway over two decades. In Jakob's version the key pieces are:
- Double threshold days. Two threshold sessions on one day, morning and evening, usually twice a week. How a double threshold day works.
- Controlled intensity. Threshold runs are held around 2 to 3 mmol/L lactate, measured with a lactate meter in training. Hard, but never racing.
- Easy days that are easy. The rest of the volume is slow on purpose.
- Hill sprints or a faster session. One session a week above threshold, often short hill reps.
