- Gjert Ingebrigtsen led his sons to athletics glory before they split last year
- Brothers said their father ‘used physical violence and threats’ while raising them
- Gjert has denied the accusations and said he is “far from perfect, but not violent.”
Olympic 1,500 meter champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his brothers have accused their father and former coach of violent and controlling behavior.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen guided sons Jakob (23), Filip (30) and Henrik (32) to international athletics glory before stepping down as coach last year for medical reasons.
However, it later emerged that there was a family rift and the three Norwegian brothers have now lifted the lid on their experiences with their father in an explosive column in a Norwegian newspaper.
The siblings wrote in VG: ‘We grew up with a father who was very aggressive and controlling, and who used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing. We still feel discomfort and fear that has been in us since childhood.
“Somehow we accepted this. We lived with it and moved on into adulthood. At least that’s what we thought. In retrospect we realize that it was naive.
Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen (photo) and his brothers have accused their father and former coach of violent and controlling behavior
Gjert Ingebrigtsen (left) helped his sons to international athletics glory before they split last year
The brothers said they ‘still feel discomfort and fear’ that ‘has been inside them since childhood’
‘But two years ago the same aggression and physical punishment struck again. It was the straw that made the cup overflow.
‘We know the fear of growing up with a father who is aggressive, controlling and violent. When we were younger, we were a big group of brothers and sisters in this together. Now the situation is unbearable.
‘We should have contributed to stopping the situation earlier. The fact that we didn’t do it weighs on us. Two years ago we had enough.
‘From that moment on we chose to break with our father. Then it became impossible for us to continue with him as coach.’
However, in a statement from his lawyer to VG, Gjert strongly denied his sons’ allegations.
“The statements they are making are baseless,” he said. ‘I have never used violence against my children.
‘The fact that I have weaknesses as a father and have been too much of a coach is a realization that I also came to, albeit far too late.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 1,500 meters race
Gjert has denied the allegations, saying he is ‘far from perfect as a father and husband’ but is ‘not violent’
“I’m far from perfect as a father and husband, but I’m not violent.”
The Norwegian Athletics Federation has already denied Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who teamed up with Jakob’s 1500m rival Narve Gilje Nordas, coaching accreditation for next year’s World Indoor Championships and European Championships, and plans to do the same for the Paris Olympics.
Jakob finished second to Britain’s Josh Kerr in the 1500m at the World Championships in August, with Nordas claiming bronze, before returning to retain his world title in the 5,000m.
He became a world star of the sport when, aged 20, he won gold in the 1500 meters at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.