Father of Olympic champion Ingebrigtsen charged with abusing one of his other children, lawyer says
Norwegian police say the father and former coach of Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with abusing one of his other children
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The father and former coach of Olympic champion runner Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with abusing one of his other children, police said Monday, escalating an ongoing conflict involving one of Norway's most prominent sporting families.
Ingebrigtsen won the 1,500-meter race at the Tokyo Olympics and has emerged as one of Europe's biggest track-and-field stars after being coached since childhood by his father Gjert Ingebrigtsen. But he and two of his brothers — who are also top-level runners — previously accused their father of using “physical violence and threats as part of our upbringing."
Norwegian police launched an investigation into Gjert Ingebrigtsen after that, and on Monday charged him with having physically and mentally abused another of his younger children. The indictment, which has been seen by The Associated Press, said the alleged abuse took place between 2018 and early 2022 and included threats, coercion and hitting his child in the face with a towel on at least one occasion.
Monday’s charges did not relate to the 23-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen or his older brothers Henrik and Filip, the three prominent runners. Police did not disclose the identity of the child.
