Jakob Ingebrigtsen set to testify against father accused of abuse

Jakob Ingebrigtsen (left) is set to testify at the trial of his father, Gjert (Jon Olav Nesvold/Bildbyran)

A television show chronicling their life remains one of the most popular in Norwegian history but this week is set to offer a potentially more uncomfortable insight into the Ingebritsen family.

Gjert Ingebritsen, once admired as a coaching pioneer after turning three of his sons into elite distance runners, is set to stand trial in Norway over allegations that he physically and emotionally abused two of his children. He denies the accusations.

Fresh from winning double gold at the World Indoor Championships in China, Jakob Ingebritsen is due to give evidence on Tuesday 25 March as an alleged victim of what he and his brothers described as “aggressive and controlling” behaviour.

On Monday, as the trial commenced, Gjert Ingebrigtsen entered a not guilty plea to the first of two charges, which concerned his daughter, and replied no criminal charges to the indictment for the alleged crimes against Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

The younger sibling cannot be named for legal reasons.

In October 2023, double Olympic champion Jakob, along with elder siblings Henrik and Filip, published a letter in Norwegian outlet VG spelling out the behaviour of their father.

“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,” the brothers alleged in an interview with the newspaper. “We still feel discomfort and fear which has been in us since childhood.”

The Norwegian state prosecutor later charged Gjert Ingebrigtsen with beating two of his children at a time when he was also their coach. According to the court indictment, the 58-year-old allegedly hit and kicked Jakob, and threatened to “beat him to death”.

Jakob Ingebritsen is one of the world’s most successful athletes (Getty Images)

Gjert coached his three sons until 2022, helping Jakob to secure his first Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020 in the 1500m as he forged a glittering career as one of the world’s leading athletes.

After the split, Jakob added 5000m success at Paris 2024 along with a large collection of other global medals. All three of the athlete brothers are set to testify at the trial.

So, too, is their Norwegian teammate Narve Gilje Nordas - who Gjert has continued to guide after the allegations. Nordas won bronze behind gold medallist Josh Kerr and Jakob, who took silver, at the World Championships in Budapest in 2023.

The legal saga has erupted after Team Ingebrigtsen, a fly-on-the-wall documentary charting the lives of the family, catapulted them to superstardom in Scandinavia.

The programme ran for five seasons between 2016 and 2021, following the careers of Henrik and Filip, and the breakthrough of Jakob as he quickly emerged as the most talented of the trio.

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