Kenyan Duo Miss Out on Ksh 19 Million Top Prize as Jakob Ingebrigtsen Wins 5000m at Ultimate Championships

Norwegian powerhouse Jakob Ingebrigtsen unleashed a devastating kick to storm to victory in the men’s 5000m final at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen clocked a season’s best 12:59.24 to pocket the grand $150,000 top prize. American duo Cole Hocker (13:00.05 SB) and Parker Wolfe (13:00.13) put up a fierce fight in the closing stretch to secure silver and bronze, respectively.

It was a tough outing for Team Kenya, as both Jacob Krop and Cornelius Kemboi missed out on the podium and the bumper payout in Budapest.

Krop crossed the line in 10th position with a time of 13:06.62, while Kemboi followed closely behind in 11th place, stopping the clock in 13:07.68.

Jacob Krop and Cornelius Kemboi: 2026 Seasons So Far

Meanwhile, Jacob Krop kicked off his 2026 campaign during the indoor season, securing second-place finishes in the 3000m short track at both Karlsruhe (7:38.64) and Liévin (7:34.68).

He carried that momentum to the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, where he narrowly missed out on a podium spot with a fourth-place finish in 7:36.76.

Jacob Krop transitioned outdoors on home soil at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, taking third place in the 5000m with a time of 13:13.59.

Moving onto the Wanda Diamond League circuit, he opened his campaign in Shaoxing/Keqiao with an eighth-place finish over 3000m in 7:28.72 before switching back to the 5000m.

His European outdoor swing saw mixed results, starting with a 12th-place finish at the Bislett Games in Oslo (13:01.51) before bouncing back impressively to claim runner-up honours at the Meeting de Paris in 12:55.22.

He maintained his top-tier form in Monaco, placing fourth in a swift 12:53.71, though he experienced a setback in Lausanne with a 14th-place finish (13:13.29).

Krop then raced at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, delivering his fastest 5000m performance of the year to cross the line seventh in a season’s best 12:51.23.

On his part, Cornelius Kemboi launched his 2026 campaign in February on home soil, placing 35th at the Sirikwa Classic Cross Country in Eldoret before transitioning to the roads with a fourth-place finish over 10km in Lille (27:12).

He announced his outdoor track presence in style on April 24 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, storming to a brilliant 5000m victory in 13:09.31.

Taking his talent to the Asian Diamond League leg in May, Kemboi secured fifth in the Shaoxing 3000m (7:27.46) and eighth in the Xiamen 5000m (13:08.45).

His European circuit swing saw consistent sub-13 performances over 5000m, placing 10th in Oslo (12:56.02), eighth in Paris (12:58.10), and fifth in Monaco (12:57.36).

Midway through the season, Kemboi secured his spot for international duty by finishing second at the Kenyan Commonwealth Games Trials in Nairobi (13:46.94).

Representing Kenya at the XXIII Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, he narrowly missed out on the medals with a hard-fought fourth-place finish in 13:24.99.

Returning to the Diamond League circuit, he placed fifth at Athletissima Lausanne in 12:59.33. Kemboi saved his absolute best for last at the Allianz Memorial van Damme in Brussels on September 5, slicing down his lifetime best to clock a blistering 12:47.29 to grab a fantastic third place on the podium.