Norwegian runner eases through 1500m heats at World Indoor Champs and makes small jibe at absent competitors

Jakob Ingebrigtsen began his quest for a 1500m and 3000m double at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, on Friday (March 21) and said he was disappointed his main rivals from the Paris Olympics last year were not at the event.

None of the three men who beat him in the 1500m in Paris – Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr or Yared Nuguse – are in Nanjing, so when Ingebrigtsen was asked by letsrun.com whether he was sad they weren't there, he replied: "Aren't we all."

The Norwegian athlete, who won the 1500m and 3000m at the European Indoor Championships this month, toyed with his rivals in the men’s 1500m heats as he went from last to first in the space of 100m with just over a lap to go, easing home in 3:39.80.

"I am glad to get to the final," he said. "I'm trying to stay out of trouble and reduce the risk of falling, so I'm very happy with the result and looking forward to tomorrow (3000m final) too to fight for the medals. I think it's going to be fun.

"Until this evening, I was all the way preparing for as much as possible despite the jetlag before going on to the track, but for the world championships, it's definitely worth it."

British team captain Neil Gourley was fastest of the round, however, with 3:36.60 in the opening heat.

"I feel like I didn't represent myself quite as well in Apeldoorn, so I came here with a little bit of a point to make,” said Gourley, who placed fourth at the European Indoor Championships two weeks earlier.

Gourley’s team-mate Georgia Hunter Bell also qualified for the women’s 1500m final after winning her heat in 4:09.21, the fastest time of the round.

Fellow Brit Revee Walcott-Nolan went out, though, after finishing fifth in 4:14.76 in a heat won by Diribe Welteji of Ethiopia in 4:12.25.

“I can actually hear out of my left ear now (after an ear infection in Apeldoorn led to her finishing fourth), so I'm really happy about that,” said Hunter Bell.

“It was quite hard to refocus mentally and emotionally after Apeldoorn. I was kind of in a daze on the track, and it really hit me the next day. I was definitely pretty upset.”