BUDAPEST, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Jakob Ingebrigtsen completed a remarkable comeback on Friday, surging to victory in the men's 5,000 metres at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship just seven months after Achilles surgery had left his campaign in doubt.
The Olympic champion pocketed the $150,000 winner's cheque after clocking a season's best 12 minutes 59.24 seconds, producing the trademark late kick that has become his calling card by moving from the back of the field over the closing laps before sweeping past his rivals with 100 metres remaining.
A day after writing on Instagram that "a couple of months ago it looked unlikely I'd have a season at all", the Norwegian underlined his return to full fitness with another clinical display.
"It's very good to be back, I haven't run too many 5000m this year -- or too many races in general," Ingebrigtsen said. "Maybe a little bit extra nervous today ... amazing to do sub-13 (minutes)."
The 25-year-old crossed the line, casually stopped the time on his watch, and wagged one finger at the crowd in celebration after holding off Olympic 1,500m champion Cole Hocker, who finished second in 13:00.05, while American teammate Parker Wolfe took third in 13:00.13.
For much of the race Ingebrigtsen bided his time at the back of the pack, content to let others dictate the pace before methodically working his way forward over the final two laps and unleashing a devastating finishing burst when it mattered most to win by 10 metres.
The Ultimate Championship has been introduced to draw new fans, ditching the traditional championship model of three athletes per country in favour of high-stakes fields featuring the world's top-16 runners and top-eight competitors in the throws and jumps.
The event's opening night at Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre wrapped athletics in a glitzy production with bright pink and gold lights, darkened stands and a black infield that made the venue feel more like an enormous stage.
There was pounding music and dramatic walkouts -- the men's hammer field entered the stadium to "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus.
World Athletics said opening night drew a sold-out crowd of 20,557 fans, with 60% of fans coming from Budapest, while the remaining 40% were international visitors.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing)
