Simply two days in the past, Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen crossed the end line in Nanjing, China, flexing his arms after successful his first-ever world 1,500m indoor title. Now, the 24-year-old finds himself in a really totally different area—testifying in a courtroom in his hometown of Sandnes, Norway, towards his father, Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who stands accused of mentally and bodily abusing Jakob and his six siblings.
Au procès Ingebrigtsen, Jakob témoigne contre son père et entraîneur.
La famous person de l’athlétisme a dépeint un père autoritaire et manipulateur, ce mardi.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen est accusé de violences intrafamiliales sur son fils et sa fille.➡️ https://t.co/Ja6dR6TFmJ pic.twitter.com/1077MKzTdz
— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) March 25, 2025
In keeping with Norway’s TV2, Jakob described his upbringing as one dominated by concern and management. “Every thing was managed and determined for me,” Jakob testified. “There was an infinite quantity of manipulation. As an adolescent, I felt I had no free will or say in something.”
Jakob recounted reminiscences of abuse, courting again to when he was simply eight years outdated. He alleged that his father as soon as hit him within the face for being late to a race. In one other incident in 2009, Jakob claimed his father kicked him within the abdomen after he fell off a scooter. He additionally described between 10 and 20 events when his father beat him after receiving adverse faculty experiences.
The Olympic champion painted an image of a childhood that was removed from regular. Jakob mentioned his father prohibited him from staying out late or attending events, forcing him to coach two or thrice a day.
Jakob additionally recalled an incident on the 2016 Norwegian junior championships, the place his father reportedly threatened him. Across the similar time, he mentioned his father threw his video-game console out of a window in a match of anger.
The 2-time Olympic gold medalist additionally criticized the portrayal of his household within the fashionable TV collection Crew Ingebrigtsen (2016–2021), which adopted the lives of the Ingebrigtsen household. Jakob mentioned the present was a misrepresentation of their actuality. “The defendant was allowed to inform his story, not his household’s story. We felt unsafe within the product that was made as a result of it fully misrepresented our household. However we weren’t fascinated about filming or making TV out of the opposite issues that occurred.”
Gjert, who stepped down as his sons’ coach in 2022, has denied the abuse allegations. By his lawyer, Gjert beforehand described the claims as “baseless” and insisted he “by no means used violence towards his youngsters.”
Final April, Gjert was charged with one depend of bodily abuse. 5 extra prices have been dropped as a consequence of inadequate proof, and one different cost was dismissed due to time constraints.
The trial, which is anticipated to final six weeks, continues to unfold. After Tuesday’s listening to, Gjert’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, instructed NRK that his consumer has a “totally different notion of actuality.” Jakob is anticipated to return to the stand on Wednesday morning to face questions from the protection.
In the event you or somebody you understand is experiencing abuse, there are help and disaster strains you may attain out to in your province. Go to Ending Violence Canada for extra info.