Multiple world record holder Jakob Ingebrigtsen has told a Norwegian court that he lived in fear of his father Gjert from a young age as high-profile trial gets underway
Athletics superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen has said his father Gjert would “beat me until I was sick” during a four-hour testimony on the opening day of a trial described as the most high-profile in Norwegian history.
The trial, which is set to last until mid-May, began less than 48 hours after Ingebrigtsen completed a World Indoor double in China. And during his time on the stand Ingebrigtsen, 24, made a series of harrowing claims about how his father physically and psychologically abused him and siblings from a young age.
Gjert, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, has denied any allegation of violence. The claims first came to light in 2022 when Jakob, plus older brothers Henrik and Filip, stopped being coached by Gjert.
They then went to Norwegian newspaper VG to tell their stories, claiming that they did so to protect younger sister Ingrid, who was alleged to have been struck in the face by a wet towel after she told Gjert she did not want to go for a run. Yesterday the court was shown an image of Ingrid with a mark on her face.
Ingebrigtsen, a multiple world record holder who has already won more than 30 major gold medals, referred to Gjert as the “defendant” throughout his evidence.
And detailing one account when he was just “seven or eight” years old, 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 recalled one alleged incident when Gjert kicked him in the stomach and another when travelling in a car with his siblings when their father threatened to “shame him and beat him to death, or something similar.”
Gjert was also accused of referring to Jakob as a “f***ing idiot”, “thug”, “stupid”, “lesser” and “terrorist”. In 2014 or 2015 he threw a PlayStation Jakob was using out the window of their family home.
Ingebrigtsen went on to explain that he has struggled to trust people because of his father’s behaviour and grew becoming wary of showing emotion.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Asked why he had stopped calling Gjert “dad” aged 11, Jakob added: “I no longer saw this person as a father. 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 set to be questioned by Gjert’s legal team. The trial continues.
Leave a Reply