Father of Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen accused of abusing one of his other children, according to his lawyer

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Father and former coach of Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen was accused of abusing one of his other children, police said Monday, escalating an ongoing dispute involving one of Norway’s most prominent sports families.

Ingebrigtsen won the 1,500 meters at the Tokyo Olympics and became one of Europe’s biggest track and field stars after being coached since childhood by his father Gjert Ingebrigtsen. But he and two of his brothers – who are also top runners – had previously accused their father of using “physical violence and threats as part of our education”.

Norwegian police then opened an investigation into Gjert Ingebrigtsen and accused him on Monday of physically and mentally abusing another of his younger children. The indictment, which was seen by The Associated Press, says the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and early 2022 and included threats, coercion and hitting her child in the face with a towel. at least one occasion.

Monday’s charges did not involve Jakob Ingebrigtsen, 23, or his older brothers Henrik and Filip, the three prominent riders. Police have not released the child’s identity.

If convicted, Gjert Ingebrigtsen faces up to six years in prison. No trial date has been set.

Terese Braut Våge, police chief in southeastern Norway, told The Associated Press that cases involving five other alleged victims were dismissed “based on the evidence” and in one case due to a limitation period.

Gjert Ingebrigtsen’s lawyer, John Christian Elden, said his 58-year-old client “does not agree with the presentation of events” and “therefore he does not admit his criminal guilt.”

Gjert Ingebrigtsen was named Norwegian Sports Coach of the Year in 2018 after Jakob, Henrik and Filip all won medals at major events that year. The family was also the subject of a television documentary series, “Team Ingebregtsen”, broadcast by public broadcaster NRK for five seasons between 2016 and 2021, until the Tokyo Olympics.

But on October 19 last year, the three brothers published an article in Norwegian newspaper VG detailing their father’s behavior and saying he “had been very aggressive and controlling”, violent and abusive during their childhood.

They said “the same attacks and corporal punishment struck again” two years ago against someone else, and that it was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

The three brothers severed ties with their father and Gjert Ingebrigtsen has since started training another Norwegian rider, Narve Gilje Nordås. However, Tore Øvrebø, head of the organization that oversees Olympic sports in Norway, said Ingebrigtsen would not be allowed to be part of the Norwegian staff at the Paris Games this summer. He was also denied accreditation for the 2023 world championships in Budapest, where Jakob won gold in the 5,000 meters.

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