Norwegian Olympic runners and brothers, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Henrik Ingebrigtsen and Filip Ingebrigtsen made claims that their father and former coach Gjert Ingebrigtsen physically, verbally and mentally abused them, and Gjert will subsequently stand trial next year.
The brothers reached out to the Norwegian Athletics Federation for support. The federation prohibited Gjert from the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, the European Championships and the Indoor Championships in Glasgow. The Norwegian Olympic Committee denied Gjert accreditations for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The brothers voiced: “We have grown up with a father who has been very aggressive and controlling and who has used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing. We still feel discomfort and fear which has been in us since childhood.”
Norwegian police pressed charges against Gjert. Other family members have attested to the brothers’ claims.
At the beginning, only one sibling pressed charges. However, lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen said that Gjert has now been “charged with having abused two of his seven kids,” which includes Jakob.
Jakob, who won gold medals over 1500m in Tokyo and 5,000m in Paris, was allegedly punched and kicked in the stomach. He was allegedly abused over a 10-year period from when he was a schoolboy and threatened to be “beaten to death.” He claims to have also been “hit in the head several times by Gjert” and “one situation lasted 15 to 30 minutes.”
Gjert is also accused of referring to his son as a “thug” and “terrorist.” He allegedly threatened to “shame him and knock him out of health.”
The brothers also expressed: “Somehow, we have accepted this. We have lived with it, and in adulthood we have moved on. At least we thought so. In retrospect, we realise that it was naive. But two years ago, the same aggression and physical punishment struck again.”
Gjert denies the claims: “I have never used violence against my children. That I have weaknesses as a father, and have been too much of a coach, is a realisation I have also come to, albeit far too late.”
Gjert’s lawyers John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang stated that Gjert believes: “the decision on prosecution has been rushed.”
They continued: “Gjert Ingebrigtsen maintains what he has said all along that he does not admit criminal guilt for the offences he has been charged with and that he has never subjected any of his children to either physical or mental abuse.”
The trial is likely to last about eight weeks, with 30-40 witnesses expected to be called.
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