Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen accuses father of abuse
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the most successful and the youngest of the three brothers, with a double world championship title in the 5,000m in 2022 and 2023.
PHOTO: USA TODAY SPORTS
Follow topic:
OSLO – Olympic 1,500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his two brothers Henrik and Filip on Friday accused their father and former coach Gjert of abusing them, a charge which the latter has denied.
“We grew up with a very aggressive and authoritarian father, who used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing,” they wrote in an article published in the Norwegian daily VG.
“We still feel a sense of discomfort and fear that we have felt since childhood.”
The siblings were coached by Gjert until the Covid-delayed Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, after which they ended the partnership.
“We had more or less accepted that. 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,” the Norwegian brothers added.
“But two years ago, the same aggression and physical punishment happened again. That was the last straw.
“From that moment on, we decided to break with our father. It became impossible for us to continue working with him. The pressure we have felt has been inhumane at times. We run out of energy and the joy of playing sports is gone.”
Olympic champion Jakob, 23, is the most successful and the youngest of the three brothers, winning the world championship title in the 5,000m in 2022 and 2023.
His brothers Henrik, 32, and Filip, 30, were European champions in the 1,500m in 2012 and 2016 respectively.
Their father denied the accusations, assuring the newspaper in a message sent by his lawyer that he had “never resorted to violence” against them.
“I am far from perfect as a father and husband but I am not violent,” he added.
“This is a tragic situation for my family, that we have come to the point where we are spreading false accusations against each other in the media. It makes me deeply unhappy. How we are going to get past this I don’t know.”
The Norwegian police said they were studying the facts to determine whether there were grounds to open an investigation into the allegations of violence.
After parting ways with his sons, Gjert caused a storm in Norwegian athletics by starting to train another runner, Narve Gilje Nordas.
Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia and Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway (right) compete in the 3,000m during the 2023 Prefontaine Classic.
PHOTO: AFP
He has been denied accreditation by the Norwegian Athletics Association for the World Athletics Indoor Championships next March in Glasgow and for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
On the abuse allegations, the governing body said: “The Norwegian Athletics Federation’s intention is to provide safe surroundings and a healthy performance environment...
“Based on Jakob, Filip and Henrik’s statements today, we will take responsibility for sharpening this work.” AFP
