Olympic celebrity claims his dad would ‘beat me till I used to be sick’ throughout abuse trial
Jakob Ingebrigtsen has alleged his father, Gjert, would “beat me until I was sick” as he detailed the physical and emotional torment inflicted upon him, a court heard
Olympic icon Jakob Ingebrigtsen has claimed his father, Gjert, would “beat me until I was sick” during a four-hour testimony on the opening day of his trial.
Gjert has been accused of physically and mentally abusing Jakob, 24, and another of his children as the trial, described as the most high-profile in Norwegian history, opened less than 48 hours after the track sensation completed a World Indoor double in China.
On the witness stand, Ingebrigtsen, 24, detailed a slew of allegations about the physical and emotional torment inflicted by his father on him and his siblings since their early years.
Gjert, who could face a stint of up to six years behind bars if found guilty, has vehemently denied any allegation of violence. The allegations first surfaced in 2022 when Jakob and his elder brothers Henrik and Filip stopped being coached by Gjert.
Ingebrigtsen repeatedly referred to Gjert simply as the “defendant” throughout his evidence.
Recounting one incident at just “seven or eight” years of age, Ingebrigtsen said: “I’m just standing in the kitchen and looking down at the ground. The defendant is standing over me and screaming at me. He hits me several times on the top of the head.
“If I didn’t do as he did, he would come and shame me and beat me until I was sick.”
Ingebrigtsen also described one incident where he says Gjert kicked him in the stomach. He also detailed a car ride with his siblings, during which he says their dad threatened to “shame him and beat him to death, or something similar.”
Gjert has been accused of hurling insults at Jakob, calling him a “f****** idiot”, “thug”, “stupid”, “lesser”, and “terrorist”. In an act of frustration around 2014 or 2015, he allegedly threw a PlayStation Ingebrigtsen was playing with out the window of their home.
Ingebrigtsen opened up about how these experiences have shaped his ability to trust others, saying that he became cautious about showing any emotions.
“If I was happy or did something nice, it could be used against me if I was a little tired at training the next day,” Ingebrigtsen told the court.
“I was very conscious about showing emotions. I ended up not doing it. I have a hard time letting people in and I have a hard time trusting people.”
When asked about his decision to stop calling Gjert “dad” from age 11: “I no longer saw this person as a father,” he said. “I thought that the things he says, the things he does and has done, are not worthy of a father.”
On Wednesday morning, Ingebrigtsen was scheduled for questioning by Gjert’s legal team. The trial continues.
