SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold in the men's 5,000 meters at the Paris Olympics on Saturday by going to the front midway through the last lap and pulling away down the stretch, making up for his surprising fourth-place finish in the 1,500 days earlier.
“When you hit a wall, and don’t perform the way you want to, it’s very difficult,” said Ingebrigtsen, a 23-year-old from Norway. "But ... I got another shot. I just had to make the most of it.”
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Jakob Ingebrigtsen, right, of Norway, is congratulated by Hugo Hay, of France, after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Grant Fisher, of the United States, celebrates after winning a silver medal in the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, competes in the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, right, of Norway, is congratulated by Hugo Hay, of France, after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
He did just that, completing the 12 1/2 laps around the Stade de France's purple track in 13 minutes, 13.66 seconds — 1.38 seconds faster than silver medalist Ronald Kwemoi of Kenya.
Grant Fisher of the U.S. was third in 13:15.13, giving him his second bronze of the 2024 Olympics, to go with the one he picked up in the 10,000 on Aug. 2.
Ingebrigtsen raised the index finger on his right hand aloft in a No. 1 gesture as he added this 5,000 victory — in a relatively slow race — to the gold he won in the 1,500 at the Tokyo Games three years ago.
His defense in the shorter event on Tuesday after setting a swift early pace did not go well. That was supposed to be a much-hyped head-to-head showdown between the Olympic champ (Ingebrigtsen) and world champ in the 1,500 (Josh Kerr) — two guys who do not like each other and don’t try to hide it — but a lesser-known American, Cole Hocker, came from well back to grab a surprising gold medal.
Kerr claimed the silver for Britain, and Ingebrigtsen ended up with no medal at all.
This time, the pacing worked to Ingebrigtsen's advantage. He bided his time, hanging in the middle of the pack as other runners took turns leading the way through easy-for-them laps that often took more than 65 seconds.
“I just tried to stay calm,” Ingebrigtsen said. “Went for it. I was able to catch up.”
It was with about 300 meters to go that he decided to take charge, quickly moving to the front and only adding to the space between himself and other competitors.
By the end of the race, which is 3.1 miles, his bright orange racing shoes carried him to a 15-meter lead and he thrust his right hand overhead to make sure everyone saw what place he came in this time.
Good as he's been at the 1,500, the 5,000 might very well be his stronger race — he won it at the past two world championships, after all. And now this gold might allow him to erase that Olympics flub in the 1,500.
AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
Grant Fisher, of the United States, celebrates after winning a silver medal in the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, competes in the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, right, of Norway, is congratulated by Hugo Hay, of France, after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Jakob Ingebrigtsen, of Norway, celebrates after winning the men's 5000-meter final at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — A marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old was found abandoned in a garbage bag near the Greek city of Thessaloniki, police said Wednesday.
A resident discovered the 80-centimeter (31-inch) headless statue beside a trash bin in Neoi Epivates, outside Greece’s second-largest city. The man turned it over to local authorities, who contacted archaeologists to assess its significance.
Police said experts, following an initial evaluation, determined the piece dates to the Hellenistic era, a period roughly between 320 and 30 B.C. that was marked by a flourishing of art and culture following the conquests of Alexander the Great.
The statue was sent for further examination by archaeologists. It will ultimately be handed over to the local antiquities authority for preservation and study.
Police opened an investigation to determine who discarded the statue and briefly detained a man for questioning who was later released without charge.
Accidental archaeological discoveries are relatively common in Greece, a country renowned for its ancient heritage, and often made during building construction or public works. In December, workers installing natural gas pipelines near Athens uncovered a Roman-era statue of Hermes buried upright in a brick-lined pit near the Acropolis.
Thessaloniki weeks ago unveiled a trove of antiquities found during the decades-long construction of its metro system, which officially opened in November. Key finds, including a marble-paved Roman thoroughfare and tens of thousands of artifacts spanning the Greek, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods, are now showcased at subway stations.
This undated handout photo provided by the Greek Police and released on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025 shows a marble statue of a woman believed to be more than 2,000 years old which was found abandoned in a garbage bag in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece. (Greek Police via AP)