Latest news with #GjertIngebrigtsen
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Double Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen gives emotional statement on final day of his father's criminal trial over childhood 'physical and emotional abuse' against him
Double Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigtsen insisted he had 'no motives for lying' and admitted he felt 'embarrassed' at being the victim of alleged domestic violence on the final day of his father's criminal trial. Jakob, 24, gave an emotional statement in which he also said he would carry 'baggage' from the case against his father Gjert, 59. Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of two-and-a-half years for Gjert, who has pleaded not guilty to the alleged physical and emotional abuse of Jakob and his sister Ingrid, 19. Jakob at the start of the trial told the court of his father's 'manipulation' and how he was subject to beatings while he was just a child. Gjert, who coached Jakob to gold in the 1,500m at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, allegedly hit an eight-year-old Jakob on several occasions due to behaviour at school and being late for a race. 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 when the trial began in Sandnes, Norway. 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, by calling the couple 'terrorists'. And on Thursday he delivered another powerful statement to the court, with a verdict expected on June 16. 'It is embarrassing to be a victim of domestic violence,' said the reigning Olympic 5,000m champion. 'I know what I have experienced with the defendant since I was a little boy, and I have had no motives for lying. 'It is embarrassing to be a victim for our family, and it does not fit into the image you have of yourself and your family. We will all carry baggage with us from this trial. 'I feel a great sense of relief now that I no longer have to hide anything. Will this affect me as an athlete? Absolutely. But it has also brought us siblings and my new family closer together. That means more than anything else.' Jakob's sister Ingrid said on Thursday: 'Five years ago I never thought I would live the life I live now. I have freedom and can decide over my own life. 'I have also never been as close to my siblings as I am now, and I know that we have each other's backs.' Defense attorney Heidi Reisvang told the court on Wednesday that the case 'should never have come to court', according to Norwegian newspaper VG. They are asking for a full acquittal. 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.'
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jakob Ingebrigtsen: ‘It is embarrassing to be a victim of domestic violence'
Jakob Ingebrigtsen admitted he is 'embarrassed' to be a victim of domestic violence as he delivered a powerful testimony on the final day of his father's criminal trial. Norwegian prosecutors this week called for Ingebrigtsen's father Gjert, 59, to be sentenced to two and a half years in prison for the alleged physical and verbal assault of Jakob and his younger sister Ingrid. Gjert coached the double Olympic champion to the top of the podium in the 1,500m at the Tokyo Olympics. He also claimed gold in the 5,000m at Paris 2024, beating Briton Josh Kerr at the line. Jakob described several incidents of violence at the beginning of the six-week trial - one of which alleged Gjert to have struck his son several times after receiving a negative report about his behaviour from school when he was eight. Gjert's legal team questioned these claims in closing, calling for their client's acquittal. However, Jakob took to the stand to reiterate that he was telling the truth. 'It is embarrassing to be a victim of domestic violence,' he said. 'I know what I have experienced with the defendant since I was a little boy, and I have had no motives for lying. 'It is embarrassing to be a victim for our family, and it does not fit into the image you have of yourself and your family. We will all carry baggage with us from this trial.' With trial proceedings having concluded, judge Arild Dommersnes said he expects to announce a verdict on June 16.
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- The Guardian
Jakob Ingebrigtsen tells court he has ‘had no motives for lying' as father's trial closes
The Norwegian Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has told a court that he finds it 'embarrassing to be a victim of domestic violence' on the final day of the trial of his father and former coach, Gjert. Earlier this week, prosecutors called for Gjert to be given a jail sentence of two and a half years for hitting and verbally abusing Jakob, the Olympic 1500m champion in Tokyo and 5000m gold medallist in Paris, and his younger sister Ingrid. However on a dramatic closing day of the six-week trial, Gjert's legal team questioned the allegations against him and called for a complete acquittal. Jakob, 24, then took to the stand and told the court that his testimony from earlier in the trial about being kicked, hit, sworn at and living under a culture of fear was accurate. 'It is embarrassing to be a victim of domestic violence,' he said. 'I know what I have experienced with the defendant since I was a little boy, and I have had no motives for lying. It is embarrassing to be a victim for our family, and it does not fit into the image you have of yourself and your family,' he added. 'We will all carry baggage with us from this trial.' Earlier on Thursday, Gjert's defence attorney, Heidi Reisvang, had questioned Jakob's claim that he had been kicked in the stomach by his own father after falling off his scooter when he was seven. 'He didn't get any marks or tell anyone about it,' said Reisvang as she summed up the defence's case. 'The first time he talked about it was during police questioning.' Reisvang said that Jakob had also insisted that there were other people present, but didn't know who they were. 'There is a presumption that no one intervenes when a child falls on a scooter and gets kicked in the stomach' she added. She did acknowledge, however, that Gjert had called Jakob, 'stupid', 'terrorist', and 'a thug' in heated family discussions. Meanwhile Jakob's legal counsel, Yvonne Larsen, said the accounts of Jakob and Ingrid, who left the family home aged 15 after claiming that her father had struck her in the face with a wet towel, should be believed. 'Why would Jakob Ingebrigtsen go under questioning and talk about violence, when he is actually a superstar? Because it is true,' she told the court. 'And why would the sister move out and talk about what she has experienced?' The district court judge Arild Dommersnes told the court that he expects to announce a verdict on 16 June.
Local Norway
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Local Norway
Prosecutors want prison for father accused of abuse of Norwegian Olympic hero
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 59, who used to coach some of his children, is accused of physical and psychological violence against Jakob, 24, and his sister Ingrid, 18, over a total period of 14 years, from 2008 to 2022. He denies the charges against him. The trial, which began in March, is scheduled to wrap up on May 15th. The prosecution on Tuesday told the court it believed the charges against Ingebrigtsen warranted a combined sentence of two and half years in prison, broadcaster NRK reported. "It is one of Jacob's closest carers who has exercised violence against him. Violated him and threatened him," prosecutor Angjerd Kvernenes told the court, according to NRK. Heidi Reisvang, one of Gjert Ingebrigtsen's lawyers, told newspaper VG that they will argue for an acquittal when they present their final arguments. "We believe that the sentencing request that was made in this case is far too high, given the severity of the case," Reisvang told the newspaper. Jakob Ingebrigtsen, and two of his brothers, Henrik and Filip, who are also athletes, shocked Norway in October 2023 when they accused their father of using "physical violence" and "threats" as part of their upbringing. Advertisement In 2022 the brothers cut ties with their father. Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the most successful of the three, winning gold in the world championships over 5,000m in 2022 and 2023, and claiming the 1,500m and 3,000m titles in Nanjing to secure a rare world indoor double right before the opening of his father's trial. After pocketing the Olympic gold in the 1,500m in Tokyo in 2021, he also won the 5,000m title at last summer's Paris Games.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Athletics-Prosecutors seek prison sentence for Ingebrigtsen father, Norwegian media report
(Reuters) - Norwegian prosecutors are seeking a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Gjert Ingebrigtsen, who is accused of abusing his twice Olympic gold medallist son Jakob and daughter Ingrid, Norwegian media reported on Tuesday. The back-to-back 5,000 metres world champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen took the stand in March, where he described a childhood marked by fear and manipulation and told the court about several incidents of violence. Gjert Ingebrigtsen has pleaded not guilty and repeatedly denied the charges. He faces up to six years in prison if convicted. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prosecutor Ellen Gimre said that "the clear starting point in such cases is unconditional imprisonment," according to broadcaster NRK. "In addition to the violence itself, it is also a breach of the trust between close relations. It's the constant fear of when the next episode of violence, the next threat, or the next violation will occur," said Gimre.
