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2024 Paris Olympic Games

Olympic Final Session Recap: Glory for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Faith Kipyegon

Olympic Final Session Recap: Glory for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Faith Kipyegon

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Faith Kipyegon seized their final moments of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Aug 11, 2024 by Harry Prevor
Olympic Final Session Recap: Glory for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Faith Kipyegon

We're sad that it's over, but glad that it happened. 

The final session of in-stadia action is behind us and the last track medals were awarded at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

We've covered it all live for you, but for those not interested in the play-by-play from this evening here are the big takeaways.

Wanyonyi Gives The World Record A Scare

Imagine running 1:43 and finishing in eighth-place. Before today, it hadn't happened in an Olympic final since David Rudisha's legendary 2012 1:40.91 record run. And just two years ago, 1:41 and 1:42 times were out of reach for the global elite as Diamond League races were often won in 1:44. For all those years, we were waiting for someone to break this event and take us back into world-record territory.

Weeks ago at the Kenyan Trials, Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi delivered what 800m fans were hoping for with a 1:41 win. But as the season progressed it was revealed that it wasn't only Wanyonyi -- several other stars like Algeria's Djamel Sedjati and Gabriel Tual also broke the 1:42 barrier soon after on the Diamond League circuit. The American hope Bryce Hoppel had been winning, but had yet to run a 1:41 on the international circuit. Could the world record fall in Paris?

Wanyonyi, in a display of front-running that would make Rudisha proud, took the race out in 50.28 seconds. Tual sat right behind him to the roar of the home crowd, and for a brief moment it looked like he was taking the lead. But Wanyonyi fought back and reclaimed the winning position as Tual faded. Could anyone catch Wanyonyi? Reigning World champ Marco Arop of Canada, coming from behind on the home stretch, was making up more and more ground with every step. But ultimately the race is 800 meters for a reason -- Wanyonyi held on and won in 1:41.19, the third-fastest time ever. Arop set a North American record of 1:41.20, and circuit star Sedjati also kicked for the bronze in 1:41.50.

Hoppel, despite setting a national record of 1:41.67, had to settle for 4th.

Ultimate, Dominating Redemption for Ingebrigtsen and Kipyegon

Coming into today, both Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Kenya's Faith Kipyegon were in similar situations. After both failed to secure gold medals in their earlier events (Ingebrigtsen failed to defend his Olympic title in the 1500, Kipyegon failed to defend her World title in the 5000), both former Olympic champs had one last shot at glory in events that played more to their strengths (Kipyegon is the 1500 world record holder, and Ingebrigtsen has been unbeatable in championship 5Ks in recent years). 

Beginning with the men's 5000m, the Joshua Cheptegei-less field (the Ugandan 5K record-holder withdrew following his 10K Olympic record) played right into the Norwegian's hands by taking the race out in 2:49.7. A brief attempt by Dominic Lobalu to string the field out was fruitless, and by 3K at 8:17.5 a large pack was still there prepating for the final push. Ethiopia's Biniam Mehary, just 17 years old, tried to split the lead with countryman Addisu Yihune, but both were eventually passed by the bell lap. 

It was the third Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet, who scared the world record on the Diamond League circuit, who made the first move for the gold medal. He began sprinting with 400m to go, as Ingebrigtsen patiently waited and slowly reeled the Ethiopian in. By 150m to go, it was clear the race was won -- Jakob was your Olympic champion, but who would get the minor medals?

It was all between Kenya's Ronald Kwemoi, Lobalu, Gebrehiwet, and Fisher -- and it was Kwemoi and Fisher, who had both run quietly and confidently in the pack for most of the race, that had the most left when it mattered and scored the silver and bronze medals. Fisher ended his dream Olympics as a two-time bronze medallist following his 10K placing.

In the 1500m, Kipyegon was favored in a fast race, and soon after the gun there was no question -- it would be quick, with the Ethiopian 5K and 10K runner Gudaf Tsegay taking it out in 59.3 seconds for 400m. After a 2:03 800m split, the pace proved to be too much for Tsegay as she faded back, leaving Kipyegon to make the final push with 300m to go at 3:07.1. 

Much like Ingebrigtsen, Kipyegon was simply untouchable on the final lap, and she separated to win in a new Olympic record of 3:51.29. Her win is worth contemplating for a moment -- she became the first ever woman to win 3 Olympic 1500m gold medals in a row. Arguably the biggest surprise of the race, though, was in the minor medals -- after Australia's Jess Hull ended her breakthrough season with a silver medal in 3:52.56, it was the UK's Georgia Bell, returning from a five-year break from the sport, who secured bronze with a 3:52.61 national record.

It's Not Over Yet: Hamish Kerr Beats Shelby McEwen in Sudden-Death Jump-Off

It was the moment of the Games three years ago: When Mutaz Barshim of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy decided to share the gold medal (as is allowed) instead of going to a jump-off following their tied jumping record, the video of their negotiation and shared celebration set the Internet ablaze.

With Barshim's calf injured during qualification and Tamberi just out of the emergency room hours ago vomiting blood from a kidney colic, the odds were stacked against both athletes defending their title, and it was a miracle that both were even able to show up.

After Tamberi fouled out in the early heights and Barshim had to settle for bronze, it seemed that we might be heading for a repeat of 2021 with two different contenders -- this time, Hamish Kerr of New Zealand and the American Shelby McEwen, who had overperformed to achieve a countback record equal to that of Kerr.

But unlike Barshim and Tamberi, McEwen and Kerr weren't in the mood to share. They chose to initiate a sudden-death jump off -- a tiebreaker in the event where the bar goes down rather than up until one athlete makes a height while the other misses.

With the pressure on and both athletes tired from their earlier attempts, both McEwen and Kerr failed attempts at 2.38 and 2.36m. It was a crucial clearance from Kerr over 2.34m that handed him the gold medal over McEwen, who looked like he had height over the bar but nicked it regardless. Kerr's clearance of 2.36m from earlier in the competition was an Oceanian record.


When Are The Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

The Olympics begin on July 26 and end on August 11. The track and field events will begin on Aug. 1. 

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