FILE PHOTO: Athletics – World Athletics Championships – men’s 1500 meters final – London Stadium, London, Britain – August 13, 2017 – Filip Ingebrigtsen of Norway celebrates winning the bronze medal. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
GLASGOW (Reuters) – Former European outdoor 1,500 meters champion Filip Ingebrigtsen was disqualified in the heats of the European indoor championships on Friday, though his younger brother and race favorite Jakob qualified safely for Sunday’s final.
Filip Ingebrigtsen, a world championship bronze medalist in 2017, was disqualified from his 1,500m heat for straying off the inside of the track after he tried to squeeze through a gap that wasn’t really there.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, a double European champion outdoors in Berlin last year, looked comfortable in winning his heat, as did the defending champion, Poland’s Marcin Lewandowski.
The 19-year-old Norwegian was back on the track 90 minutes later as he safely advanced from the 3,000m heats, with the final on Saturday night when his other brother Henrik, will also be on the start line after qualifying safely despite a lot of pushing and bumping in his heat that left him bleeding.
“I feel pretty strong, have done a lot of mileage to prepare for this,” said Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who was unimpressed by his brother’s disqualification in the earlier event.
“It was the stupidest thing I’ll see all year. I saw the race and there was nothing wrong with it,” he told the BBC. “I believe it’s the new tactics for the 1,500 – you push someone and you qualify.”
Belgium’s Ismael Debjani was also disqualified for the same offense after initially going through in the 1,500m.
In the absence of Belgium’s dominant Nafissatou Thiam, Britain’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson was on course for the pentathlon title after solid performances in the three morning events – the 60 meters hurdles, high jump and shot.
The remaining events take place in Friday’s evening session, which also features the women’s 3,000m final.
Reporting by Mitch Phillips, editing by Christian Radnedge