A court cleared Gjert Ingebrigtsen of many of the abuse charges made against him but the father and coach’s hope of reconciliation seems remote
The moment that ripped apart track and field’s most successful and eccentric family came in January 2022, after the 15‑year‑old sister of the Tokyo Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen was grounded by her father after school.
At that point, Jakob and his brothers Filip and Henrik, were all European, world or Olympic champions, having trained like professionals since before they were teenagers. They were also major TV stars in Norway thanks to the docu-series Team Ingebrigtsen, where they appeared alongside their coach and father Gjert.
Gjert, whose manner could make an army drill sergeant sound touchy-feely, outlined his philosophy early in series one. “I don’t want to be an angry man, I want to be a father,” he said. “But if being an angry man brings them their dreams I will tolerate what I am missing.”
But on that day in 2022, Gjert’s anger went too far. It led to him striking his daughter with a wet towel, his sons to ditch and denounce him, and to a courthouse in Sandnes, Norway where he stood trial for physically and mentally abusing Jakob and Ingrid.
