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.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen delivered an emotional statement on the final day of his father’s criminal trial (pictured at the start of the trial in March)
Gjert Ingebrigtsen has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing Jakob and another one of his children
Gjert has also been charged with physically and mentally abusing his daughter Ingrid Ingebrigtsen (right)
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.’
Jakob had previously told the court of how his father called he and his now-wife Elisabeth (left) ‘terrorists’ in a bid to stop their relationship in his teenage years
The pair wed back in 2023 and have been dating since they were just 16 years of age
Gjert (front) was the trio’s coach until 2022 and a documentary was released about the Ingebrigtsen family in 2016
Henrik Ingebrigtsen (left) and Filip Ingebrigtsen (right) joined Jakob (centre) in writing a joint letter illustrating their father’s violent training methods back in October 2023
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.’
