World indoor champion Samuel Tefera edged out Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen to retain the world indoor 1500m title at the World Athletics Indoor Championships Belgrade 22 on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Ethiopian took the gold medal in a championships record time of 3:32.77, with Ingebrigtsen settling for the silver in 3:33.02.
Kenya’s Abel Kipsang snatched the bronze medal in 3:33.36.
“The race was very tough, but I feel very happy now because I became the champion,” said Tefera, who added that he had surgery on his achilles tendon last year, an injury picked up during the Tokyo Olympic Games.
“I could not do many activities within the training but now I am completely fit. I feel normal and I am ready for any kind of races and championships,” he noted.
The head-to-head record between Tefera and Ingebrigtsen, who broke the Ethiopian world indoor record of 3:31.04 earlier this year with 3:30.60, now stands at was 11-1 in favour of the Norwegian.