The break between the Ingebrigtsen brothers around world champion Jakob and their father Gjert has been a concern not only in the Norwegian media for months. Now the athletics stars opened up about the dispute – and made serious accusations against their former coach.
Father Gjert once led Henrik, Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen to the top 1500 meter runners in the world. In February 2022, the trio separated from the coach.
The relationship has been extremely tense since then. Public taunts have not been uncommon in recent months. There was a lot of speculation in the Norwegian media in particular about the reasons for the break. The Ingebrigtsen brothers now provided clarity.
“Writing what we are about to write hurts in many ways. It hurts because it affects a person who meant a lot to us and our career,” said a statement published by “Verdens Gang”: “It affects people who are close to us. And it affects people who never asked to be involved in a public conflict.”
“Physical violence and threats”
The Norwegians confirmed the family conflict, which is considered to be the cause of the separation. “When we broke up with Gjert, we thought we could resolve the situation in an orderly manner without mentioning the underlying circumstances. We now realize that is not possible,” they continued.
The public mudslinging caused such a stir that the Ingebrigtsen brothers felt obliged to provide clarity.
“We grew up with a father who was very aggressive and controlling and used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing,” they made serious accusations against Gjert: “We still feel discomfort and fear that have accompanied us since our childhood. “
The trio now regrets not pulling the ripcord sooner. “Two years ago we had enough. From that moment on we decided to break with our father. Then it became impossible for us to continue with him as a coach,” it continues.
Ingebrigtsen’s father denies allegations of violence
Gjert denied the allegations to “VG”. “I am far from perfect as a father and husband, but I am not violent,” he emphasized.
The coach and his family find themselves in a “tragic situation”. “We have reached a point where we are spreading false accusations against each other in the media. It makes me deeply unhappy,” Gjert lamented, adding: “How we are going to overcome this, I don’t know – but we have to try.”