Ingebrigtsen wins European 5,000m gold after Achilles injury comeback

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 25, won the 5,000m gold medal at the European Athletics Championships with a time of 13 minutes 15.29 seconds, according to BBC Sport. The victory marked his return to competition 324 days after undergoing Achilles surgery in January.

Ingebrigtsen had been away from track competition for nearly a full year before the Championships. He returned to training six weeks before the event, a condensed preparation window for elite distance racing. In the final stages of the 5,000m, he produced a late surge that secured the win. "With 600m to go, I knew I was going to win," Ingebrigtsen told BBC Sport. "I was just hoping I was not going to get too tired."

The gold medal was Ingebrigtsen's record-equalling seventh at the European Athletics Championships. He is now level with Croatian discus thrower Sandra Elkasevic on seven European Championship golds. Ingebrigtsen described the moment with characteristic restraint. "I doubted myself every day and every minute leading up to the last lap, but I am always hoping," he said. "Coming from the lowest of lows to be European champion again means the world to me. Not even I believed it could happen coming here."