- Gjert Ingebrigtsen has denied charges of physically abusing two of his children
- The father and former coach of Jakob faces up to six years in prison if convicted
Jakob Ingebrigtsen has recounted stories of violence during his childhood as he testified against father Gjert on Tuesday.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, also the former coach of the double Olympic champion, has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing Jakob and one of his other children, Ingrid.
The trial, which is taking place in Sandnes, Norway, is due to run until May 16, with the 59-year-old facing up to six years in prison if convicted.
Jakob, 24, told the court of his father’s ‘manipulation’ and how he was subject to beatings while he was just a child.
Allegedly, Gjert hit an eight-year-old Jakob on several occasions due to behaviour at school and being late for a race.
‘My upbringing was closely tied to fear. I´ve been aware of a fear-based culture for a long time,’ the reigning 5,000-metre Olympic champion said.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen testified against his own father in court in Sandnes, Norway, on Tuesday
Gjert Ingebrigtsen has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing Jakob and another one of his children
Gjert has also been charged with physically and mentally abusing his daughter Ingrid Ingebrigtsen (right)
‘As a teenager, it was a concept I really identified with, because I felt I had no free will or say in anything.’
‘I feel like I’ve been in a situation where I haven’t been able to decide on my own life. Everything has been very determined and strict and controlled. I always went completely cold after being subjected to violence.
‘I tried to figure out how I could avoid such situations again, but it was difficult because everything was so unpredictable.’
Prosecutors allege Gjert Ingebrigtsen struck Jakob Ingebrigtsen numerous times after he received a negative report while still in primary school.
The Norwegian track star also described other traumatising incidents during four hours of testimony.
‘I remember being extremely scared. Now I´ve done something seriously wrong. I´m terrified of what´s going to happen.’
Jakob also told the court of how his teenage years were particularly tough and that his father, who he called the ‘defendant’, aimed to disturb his relationship with now-wife Elisabeth Asserson, who he met at 16 years of age.
With the fear that the relationship would harm his son’s sporting career, Gjert allegedly tried to put a stop to it.
Jakob, 24, is a two-time Olympic champion and won gold in the men’s 5,000m in Paris
Jakob told the court of how his father called he and his now-wife Elisabeth (left) ‘terrorists’ in a bid to stop their relationship in his teenage years
The pair wed back in 2023 and have been dating since they were just 16 years of age
‘The defendant called Elisabeth and me terrorists,’ he said. ‘He believed that we were terrorising him… by suggesting that we move down to the basement apartment.
‘Adolescence was the worst. It was clear that something was happening to the defendant then, an uncertainty about me getting older, and a feeling that he was losing control.’
‘I found it extremely difficult that someone like my own father could speak that way about Elisabeth, someone I cared about.’
Gjert, who is due to testify next week, has claimed his innonence and as he left the courthouse on the second day of trial, his defence attorney, John Christian Elden, spoke to NRK.
‘It has been a difficult day for Gjert Ingebrigtsen,’ he said. ‘He is aware that this has been his son’s perception of reality, while he himself has a completely different one.
‘He does not recognise himself in the descriptions of the words that are associated with the word violence.
‘He recognises himself in descriptions that indicate that he has made demands and that there has been a competitive instinct. The rest of this he will explain himself on Monday.’
Between 2016 and 2021, a documentary named ‘Team Ingebrigtsen’ was broadcast, showcasing the Ingebrigtsen family’s life on the track and strict training methods.
Henrik Ingebrigtsen (left) and Filip Ingebrigtsen (right) joined Jakob (centre) in writing a joint letter illustrating their father’s violent training methods back in October 2023
Gjert (front) was the trio’s coach until 2022 and a documentary was released about the Ingebrigtsen family in 2016
One of the creators of the show has been called to trial as one of 30 witnesses, alongside all seven Ingebrigtsen children, and Jakob’s mother Tone.
Gjert had been the coach of Jakob and two other sons 31-year-old Filip and 34-year-old Henrik – who have both also competed at the Olympics – until 2022.
The trio of runners, who are among seven Ingebrigtsen children, made public claims illustrating their father’s violent methods in a joint letter back in October 2023.
In an interview with Norwegian outlet VG, the brothers alleged.’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.’