Devendra Kumar
The father of Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, has been charged with physically and mentally abusing one of his younger children. The allegations are part of a long-standing conflict within the prominent Norwegian sports family. According to the indictment, the abuse took place over a four-year period and included threats, coercion, and hitting the child with a wet towel on at least one occasion.
The child’s identity has not been disclosed. This news comes as no surprise, given the accusations made by Jakob and his two brothers, Henrik and Filip, who are also top-level runners, against their father in an op-ed published last year. The brothers claimed that their father used physical violence and threats as part of their upbringing. The police had launched an investigation into the allegations, and on October 19th, the charges against Gjert were ultimately filed.
It is worth noting that these charges do not relate to Jakob or his two older brothers, who have all won medals at major events with their father as their coach. The indictment only refers to one of Gjert’s younger children, who has not been named. Terese Braut Vage, head of police in south-east Norway, stated that cases involving five other alleged victims had been dismissed due to a lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.
Gjert’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, has maintained that his client disagrees with the presentation of events and does not admit to criminal guilt. This latest development has also led to Gjert being banned from participating in the Norwegian staff at the Paris Olympics this summer and being denied accreditation for the 2023 world championships in Budapest, where Jakob won gold in the 5,000 meters.
The Ingebrigtsen family has been under scrutiny in recent years, particularly after the publication of a TV documentary series, Team Ingebrigtsen, which followed the family’s journey leading up to the Tokyo Olympics. The series aired on the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK for five seasons from 2016 to 2021. However, following the publication of the op-ed last year, the three brothers distanced themselves from their father, and Gjert went on to coach another Norwegian runner, Narve Gilje Nordas.
The publication of the TV documentary series had already cast a shadow over the Ingebrigtsen family reputation, but the allegations of abuse have now brought their dark legacy to the forefront. The investigation into the allegations has been ongoing for several years, and the charges against Gjert were ultimately filed after his sons publicly spoke out about their experiences. The future of Gjert’s coaching career remains uncertain, and the incident has sent a shockwave through the athletics community. As the world waits to learn more about the allegations, it is clear that the Ingebrigtsen family will be forever changed by these tragic events.