According to Norwegian news outlet VG, two-time Olympic and world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen alleged that his father, Gjert, abused him physically and psychologically from age seven. Gjert is now set to stand trial in 2025 for abuse of both Jakob and his sister, Ingrid.
Norway’s Nettavisen News revealed the alleged incidents of verbal and physical abuse include slapping and kicking Jakob alongside threats to “beat him to death.” Jakob’s siblings corroborate his claims; the charges span from 2008 to 2018.
The trial is scheduled to last 30 court days and will reportedly include testimonies from more than 30 witnesses. The maximum sentence for abuse in Norway in a close relationship is six years.
Gjert, 58, has denied all allegations against him. A statement from his lawyers, John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang, says, “Gjert Ingebrigtsen maintains what he has said all along. He does not admit criminal guilt for the matters he is accused of and that he has never subjected any of his children to either physical or mental abuse.”
In April, Gjert was charged by Norwegian police with one count of physical abuse after allegedly hitting Jakob’s younger sister, Ingrid, in the face with a wet towel in 2022. Abuse charges from the five other siblings have reportedly been dropped by police.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s father could face six years in prison for physical abuse
Background
Gjert was the longtime coach of Jakob and his older brothers Henrik, 33, and Filip, 31, who have also competed for Norway at the Olympics. In 2022, the Ingebrigtsen brothers announced their father would no longer be coaching them due to health reasons. At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Gjert was denied accreditation. In a statement from the brothers in VG in 2023, it was revealed that their relationship with their father was marked by aggression, control and physical violence.
“We have known the fear of growing up with a father who is aggressive, controlling and violent,” the statement read. “When we were younger, we were a large group of siblings who stood in this together. Now, the situation is unbearable.”
