Jakob Ingebrigtsen won a tactical men’s 5,000m final on the opening night of the European Championships in Birmingham, England.

It is the Norwegian’s fourth-straight title in the event and marks an exceptional comeback from an Achilles injury which had caused him to miss nearly a year.

The 25-year-old had the strongest finishing kick in the field, closing the last 400m in 54.94s. He went from fourth place at 4,900m to first at the line with a big surge, overtaking Germany’s Florian Bremm (silver), world 10,000m champion Jimmy Gressier (fourth), and Frenchman Etienne Daguinos (bronze).

Ingebrigtsen’s winning time of 13:15.29s reflects the championship nature of the race, in which the pace progressed throughout. The opening kilometre was covered in 2:45.20s, with the next three such splits clocked at 2:41.31s, 2:40.58s and 2:41.56s. Thirteen men were still in contention with a lap and a half to go, and that was whittled down to seven in the final 400m.

Of all Ingebrigtsen’s victorious — he now holds 15 European golds and has never lost a continental final — this is the most surprising. Not since the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, last September, had he last raced, plagued by an Achilles injury which had also disrupted much of his 2025. There, he was eliminated in the heats and posted his worst finish position in a race since 2017.

“With 600m to go, I knew I was going to win,” he told BBC Sport. “I was hoping I wouldn’t get too tired, I worked on my breathing, trying to run smooth, but you never know. In a race like this, people around me are very strong.

“Like I was hoping, a lot of the people I was expecting to show up, showed up and gave a good fight towards the end. (It’s) a great experience, being back healthy and racing again, feeling somewhat good and like myself — it’s something I’ve really worked towards the last year or so.”

“Of course I doubted myself every day and every minute leading up to the last lap,” he said of his recovery. He added that the last few weeks have been “just on the limit” of what his body could handle in training.

That this race unfolded in a progressive manner suited Ingebrigtsen, who is fourth on the all-time 1,500m list and the fifth-fastest European man ever over 5,000m. However he had not run in a paced race since February 2025 (when he ran a mile world record indoors) and, as such, the extent of his speed and fitness were unknown — his participation in the event had been confirmed just two weeks ago.

Ingebrigtsen crossed the line with a time of 13:15.29s (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Ingebrigtsen spent the opening half of the 12.5-lap race at the back of the 23-man field, alongside elder brother Filip, and Gressier. Only around the 3,000m mark did he start to move up the pack, with Filip dropping out two-thirds of the way through.

It’s real redemption for the 2021 Olympic 1,500m gold medallist who almost a decade ago became the youngest man to break the four-minute mile barrier, aged 16. He’s won seven of nine major 5,000m finals — only losing at world championships in 2019 and 2025 — and, over this distance this is his fourth European gold medal in a row, dating back to 2018, when elder brother Henrik took silver.

The past two years have, in performance terms, been Ingebrigtsen’s most challenging, partly due to the injury and also the court case against his father and former coach Gjert.

Following a trial in spring 2025 — just after Ingebrigtsen won European and world indoor double gold over 1,500m and 3,000m — Gjert was convicted on one charge of assault of Ingrid, his daughter and Jakob’s younger sister. He was acquitted on other charges of abuse in close relationships against Jakob and Ingrid.

Ingebrigtsen is scheduled to race over 1,500m at the Zurich Diamond League later this month, which would be his first time in that competition since September 2024.

PHILADELPHIA — The Darius Cooper show took center stage Monday morning.

It was the Philadelphia Eagles’ ninth practice of the summer and the start of their first preseason week, but anyone watching likely left discussing No. 80. The Eagles’ second-year receiver was a standout in this session and continued an eye-opening start to training camp, during a period when the Eagles’ wide receiver depth chart remains in flux.

What else happened on Monday? Here’s a running diary of practice:

10 a.m.: Practice begins. There are changes to the injury report while the Eagles begin stretching.  The good news is that Cam Jurgens is practicing. He left the previous two sessions early, but there does not appear to be a concern.

Wide receiver Britain Covey is back at practice on a limited basis after missing time with a hamstring injury.

Makai Lemon and DeVonta Smith remain sidelined with hamstring injuries. Johnny Wilson is a new addition to the injury report; he’s down with a knee injury. Cornerback Jonathan Jones (shoulder) is also absent.

The others missing practice: Wide receiver Danny Gray (concussion), edge rusher Keyshawn James-Newby (ankle), running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) and safety Cole Wisniewski.

The Eagles also made a few roster moves. They signed defensive tackle David Blay, running back Ja’Quinden Jackson and edge rusher Tarron Jackson while placing RB Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve and waiving guard Jaeden Roberts and tight end Dae’Quan Wright. You might remember Tarron Jackson from his stint with the team from 2021-2023. (He was also on the practice squad in 2024.)

10:09 a.m.: Among those watching from the sideline? Michael Vick, the Norfolk State coach and former NFL star. Delaware State coach DeSean Jackson, another former Eagles great, later arrives. They’re in town to promote “One Philly HBCU Week” in October, when four HBCU schools will play at the Eagles’ stadium. The marquee game is Norfolk State vs. Delaware State on Oct. 31 with the two Philadelphia icons on opposite sidelines.

“I never forget my first entrance into Lincoln Financial Field and the reception that I got,” Vick said after practice. “I knew that this would forever be some sort of home for me.”

“I feel like I’m at home,” Jackson said. “I call it my second home, but really it’s my first home.”

10:45 a.m: Fight! (Or at least a modern-day, training camp version of one.) Guard Tyler Steen and defensive tackle Ty Williams are scuffling after an 11-on-11 rep. No punches were thrown — it was quickly broken up — and others were in the pile. Jurgens appeared to be in the mix. Those watching the O-line vs. D-line closely say it’s been simmering.

10:49 a.m.: Riq Woolen had a near interception. He read a route well in 7-on-7s, but could not haul in the pass. It hit his hands, and he was peeved after the play. Woolen was a spring standout. He hasn’t been in as many headlines this summer, although cornerbacks don’t usually make practice notes if they fulfill their assignment and the ball doesn’t go in their direction.

It was still an impressive pass breakup. Woolen knows that splash plays — like interceptions — garner more attention.

“Yeah, that’s why I was frustrated,” Woolen said. “As a DB, you will play a route so nice and the ball don’t come your way. A ball coming your way, you play the route nice, and you want to get an interception.”

11 a.m.: Cooper keeps making plays. (He could be in this diary on five different occasions. “80” is scattered on different pages in my notes.)

Within a span of two minutes, Cooper caught an out route and then made an over-the-shoulder grab down the right sideline. He can run himself open, and he also makes contested catches. I was impressed by his ability to track the ball and make adjustments. There have been a few times when he had to come back for a ball or extend his body for a catch, and he has the control and spatial awareness to do so. I’m running out of ways to say that if you didn’t know the context — he was an undrafted player who had nine total catches last year — you’d think he’s one of the top receivers on this team. It’s why I asked coach Nick Sirianni how a player can “graduate” from a specific role — the “dirty work” receiver, in Cooper’s case — to a prominent role.

“You graduate by trust and by consistently doing what you’re supposed to do and say, ‘Man, OK, we look at him as this dirty work guy, but man, he’s had opportunities in training camp to win on third down, and he has done that. Let’s give him those opportunities,” Sirianni said. “ Everything that we do is built on trust, and you get that through practice, you get that through meeting films, you get that through walkthroughs that you consistently do.”

If Sirianni wants to see consistency, it’s showing with Cooper.

11:15 a.m.: Lane Johnson is taking a few snaps off during practice. In those instances, Fred Johnson is working with the first-team offensive line at right tackle over Markel Bell. That’s still a competition. Bell has played better this summer. Fred Johnson has experience. There are still a few weeks remaining for the Eagles to make a decision.

Another lineup note from this practice worth noting: Jeremiah Trotter Jr. mixed in with the first-team defense next to Zack Baun in Jihaad Campbell’s spot. Trotter is having a good camp, but I don’t perceive this as Trotter usurping Campbell. In previous seasons, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has mixed and matched personnel groupings to prepare for different in-season possibilities.

“If one goes down you don’t want that play in that game or that rest of that game to be the first time those two guys have played together,” Fangio said last summer. “You just don’t want to always be ones, twos, threes. You want to mix guys up because you never know when somebody’s going down and now they got to play next to somebody that they’ve never played next to before, even in practice. You want that done in practice.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said quarterback Jalen Hurts is “having a great camp.” (Photo: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

11:17 a.m.:  Here’s the best pass of the day by Jalen Hurts: over the middle of the field, in stride to Elijah Moore for a big gain. Moore sprinted ahead for a potential touchdown. This was a pass with precision and touch — what you want to see from Hurts over the middle of the field.

“He’s just doing a really good job,” Sirianni said before practice. “You can see how quickly he’s getting through progressions and onto the next read with great footwork. Jalen’s a very accurate passer, and you’re seeing that continue to shine. Some of the new things (he’s doing) with different footwork, particularly under center. You’re just seeing the growth of him daily within this offense and getting more and more comfortable, and you’re seeing that on the field. Jalen’s having a great camp.”

11:21 a.m.: … And now the bad from Hurts. First play of a two-minute drill, Quinyon Mitchell jumped in front of a Hurts pass attempt for an interception. It was Mitchell’s second interception off Hurts this summer, although this one did not appear to be a miscommunication on a route. Mitchell stayed in tight coverage on Hollywood Brown and then cut on the ball after the release.

11:24 a.m.: Willie Lampkin walks to the medical tent with the training staff. This will be one to monitor on Tuesday morning because Lampkin has impressed the past week (and in this practice). He’s pushing to make the team.

“You’ve really seen Willie continue to get better and be more — and you notice him even more once the pads have come on,” Sirianni said. “He has the ability to play on the inside at center or guard, good versatility, smart guy, really athletic. He’s been fun to watch at camp. We find ourselves as coaches when we’re watching tape, just kind of being like, ‘Man, Willie did it again.’”

11:25 a.m.: Eli Stowers was apparently more active earlier in practice (including a touchdown on a different field when the Eagles split fields), but he just had the ball knocked out of his grasp when Michael Carter II hit him with a thud. Nice closing speed in coverage by Carter, yet it’s still a pass you want to see Stowers grab.

I should add: I’m not panicking about Stowers this summer. I’m curious how he looks in the game. This was a pick made with 2027 in mind. I still think he can carve a role in the passing game — especially if Dallas Goedert is injured — but August 10 is far too soon to form any sweeping conclusions on a player as athletically gifted (and as productive in college) as Stowers.

11:34 a.m.: Here was the end-of-practice scenario: Two seconds remaining in the game, down eight points. The ball was near the goal line. Basically, one play to score and then a two-point conversion.

Hurts threw a touchdown pass — although not without dispute. Hurts ran around the pocket. It was an extended period, well beyond what you typically see, and he eventually connected with Moore for a touchdown on a pass across his body after rolling to his right. (Nice catch by Moore with Cooper DeJean in coverage.)

Of course, there’s no sacking the quarterback in practice. The defense only rushed three players. I thought Jalyx Hunt was closing in, but others watching thought Hurts would have bought the time for a touchdown. One defensive player was vocal that Hurts would not have that time in a game. But the whistle didn’t blow, and Hurts kept his eyes on the end zone.

11:36 a.m.: Practice closes with a developmental period. The Eagles are back on the field Tuesday morning. Let’s see what Cooper does then.