‘He hit me in the face': sister of Jakob Ingebrigtsen struck by father as a child, court told

The Guardian

26-03-2025

The sister of the double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has told a court that she was struck in the face by their father as a child for forgetting her heart-rate monitor.
The incident is said to have occurred in 2018 or 2019 when Ingrid, who is now 18, was driving to training with her father, Gjert. When she told him, she said there was a lot of screaming and he said she was 'incompetent' and 'stupid'.
'I clearly said: 'Shut up', because it didn't stop,' Ingrid told the court in Sandes in Norway. 'When I said that, I got a hand in the face. He hit me in the face. It was fast and it was hard. It hurt.'
The court heard it was one of seven alleged incidents of physical and verbal abuse she was subjected to by Gjert, who shot to global prominence after coaching three of his sons to Olympic, world and European glory. Their success was captured in the TV documentary series Team Ingebrigtsen, each episode of which was watched by more than one million Norwegians.
However, the third day of the trial of Gjert Ingebrigtsen heard of more harrowing allegations that were never captured by the cameras. Gjert, who faces six years in prison if convicted of abusive behaviour towards Jakob and Ingrid, denies all allegations of violence.
On another occasion Ingrid said that her father had screamed so forcibly at her in the car that she had broken down in tears. She said she thought the incident had occurred after she couldn't change the radio or check the weather forecast. 'He asked me if I was afraid of him,' she told the court. 'I think that was very difficult to answer. I remember thinking: 'What happens if I answer yes? What happens if I answer no?' So I didn't answer right away. Then I remember he asked again and again until I answered. Then I ended up answering yes.'
Her father could not understand her answer, the judges heard. 'It was the stupidest thing he had ever heard,' added Ingrid. 'And didn't drive home until I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, especially not my mum, because he was afraid of what she would think.'
According to the indictment, Gjert is alleged to have abused his daughter 'by using threats, coercion, violence, restricting her freedom of movement and violating her in other ways'. The court heard that these incidents included calling Ingrid an 'idiot' when she was sick and pushing her with both hands in the upper body so that she fell to the floor after an argument.
Earlier in the day, Jakob told the court under cross-examination that the TV series Team Ingebrigtsen was not an accurate portrayal of what went on in the family. 'The problem we had with it is that it didn't reflect reality,' said the Tokyo 2020 Olympics 1500m and Paris 2024 5,000m champion. 'A lot changed when the camera crew was present. When they film, it is presented in a more humorous and cosy way.'
On Tuesday Jakob told the court that he had been kicked and punched by his father when he was as young as eight or nine, and that he continued to face other threats as he got older. But when questioned he admitted that he had not seen his father do anything physical to his older brothers Henrik and Filip – and that when he moved out of the family home at 18 to be with his now-wife, Elisabeth, he still lived just 300 metres from his father.
'That was as far as I dared to go, because I felt I definitely needed my parents' consent, even though I was of legal age,' said Jakob. 'I was afraid that the defendant would sabotage my life. He had a lot of control over finances, training and things that meant a lot to me. '
Jakob, who told the court that he had split from his father and coach early in 2022 after he hit Ingrid in the face with a wet towel, said that Gjert had messaged him later that year when he could only win silver over 1500m in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. 'The defendant was happy that I failed,' he said. 'And he conveyed that with that message.'
The trial, which is due to last until 16 May, continues.