Jakob Ingebrigtsen's father charged with physical abuse in light of the 2022 incident

Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen's father, Gjert Injebrigtsen, has been charged with physical abuse by Norwegian police after his three sons, all Olympians, claimed last year in public that he had been violent.

Jakob and his two other brothers, Henrik and Filip, came out in public last year, claiming that they were subjected to physical abuse by their father. They were coached by Gjert, 58, until 2022 and split later. A total of seven cases were filed against Gjert, who has repeatedly denied all the allegations made by three of his seven sons.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his brothers wrote in October 2023 that they still felt discomfort from Gjert, who they claimed had used ‘physical violence and threats’ as part of his upbringing.

"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. We still feel discomfort and fear which has been in us since childhood," they said as quoted by BBC.

A total of seven cases were registered against Gjert, but six of them have been dropped now while he has been charged with one offense of beating one of his children with a wet towel. However, according to the Norwegian website, VG, the victim is not one of the three siblings. Instead, the website claimed that he was a younger member of the family.

Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his four other brothers are represented by Mette Yvonne Larsen, who claimed that they were going to appeal at least one of the six dropped charges. Meanwhile, Gjert’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, has claimed that his client is innocent.

"Mr Ingebrigtsen disputes the account of events that form the basis of the indictment and, as such, does not acknowledge any criminal wrongdoing,” he told BBC in a statement.

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Jakob Ingebrigtsen missed World Athletic Indoor Championships 2024

Athletissima - Diamond League 2023

Jakob Ingebrigtsen didn't compete at the World Athletic World Indoor Championships, where he was set to face his arch-rival Josh Kerr. The 5000m world champion revealed a few days before the event started that he had decided to skip the high-profile event due to an Achilles tendon injury.

“I suffered a bit with my Achilles tendon, so I am training differently. I am now on my way back but I don’t want to take any risks.” (via Barrons.com)

Ingebrigtsen had also skipped the European Cross Country Titles, claiming that it was a tactical decision. He added that it was the European and Olympic medals that mattered to him.

“I love competition but sometimes you have to make tactical and boring choices. For me, it's the European and Olympic medals that count,” he added.