Athletics-Norway’s Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen undergoes Achilles surgery

Feb 6 (Reuters) – Jakob Ingebrigtsen has undergone surgery on a persistent Achilles injury that has plagued him for years and forced him to miss significant training and competition time, the Norwegian middle-distance runner said on Friday.

The twice Olympic champion revealed he travelled to the United States for the procedure approximately two weeks after his Achilles “flared up” again, ending months of uncertainty about his fitness.

The 25-year-old shared a clip of him in a wheelchair as he struggled to hop into a car with his left leg in a protective boot, saying he took the decision to undergo surgery for the ‘longevity’ of his career.

“Those of you who have followed over the past couple of years will know I’ve been struggling with my Achilles. A persistent and very specific injury that forced me to miss a lot of training and racing,” he wrote on Instagram.

“The surgery went very smoothly and I’m relieved to have a clear path of recovery back to the start line after many months of uncertainty.”

Ingebrigtsen’s 2024 season was repeatedly disrupted by Achilles and other injuries that ruled him out of the World Indoors and blunted his preparation.

Although he still won gold in the 5,000m at the Paris Olympics, he fell short in the 1,500m amid mounting physical strain.

A recurrence of his Achilles injury wiped out most of his outdoor season in 2025, leaving him short of race fitness and contributing to a shock failure to reach the 1,500m semi-finals at the World Championships in Tokyo.

In the 5,000m, the double-defending world champion laboured into the final where he could only manage a 10th-placed finish.

“Running is not always sunshine and rainbows but injuries are part of the sport and setbacks are a part of life. Grateful to have an amazing team and support system around me,” he added.

“I’ll be back!”

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)