The father of double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen accused his sons of orchestrating a “perfect character assassination” in a secretly recorded conversation following his dismissal as their coach. He also claimed to have been dragged “down to hell” after being reported to child services for an incident in January 2022, in which he was accused of whipping his daughter in the face with a wet towel.
Henrik Ingebrigtsen, Jakob’s older brother and a former Olympian, confronted their father, asserting that he had only himself to blame for the fallout due to his alleged violent treatment of Ingrid. The court was presented with excerpts from a tense and often confrontational 90-minute conversation that was recorded by Henrik without his father’s knowledge, just a week after the alleged towel incident. Gjert Ingebrigtsen, their father, viewed the recording as an act of betrayal.
During the conversation, Gjert expressed frustration, stating, “You have fired me as a coach. You have rejected us as parents, and you are carrying out a perfect character assassination on top of that. What we have worked for, you erase with a stroke of a pen. And then the last bit of my income goes away.” He also lamented his situation, describing it as an attempt to destroy him. However, Henrik remained firm, emphasizing that their actions were necessary due to their father’s treatment of Ingrid.
Gjert countered by insisting he had not done enough to warrant his dismissal as their coach. At one point, he declared, “If someone invites me to war, I won’t turn the other cheek. I’ll go to that war with absolutely everything I have.” Henrik, however, dismissed the notion of war, stating, “There is no war.”
Earlier in court proceedings, Gjert defended himself against accusations related to the towel incident, arguing that he had pulled a wet towel toward Ingrid’s fingers rather than striking her face. He denied that the action constituted a blow, instead describing it as a pull. He further claimed that he could not confirm whether the towel even made contact with her finger. When confronted with a photograph showing a red mark on Ingrid’s face after the incident, he suggested that it may have been caused by a skin condition rather than a physical strike.
Gjert also acknowledged an instance where he had pushed Ingrid with both hands, for which he later apologized, though he insisted it was not done with violent force.
Under cross-examination, he was questioned about an alleged incident in which he was accused of striking Jakob. A prosecutor referenced Jakob’s brother Filip, who reportedly witnessed the incident from multiple angles and believed it lasted for an extended period. Gjert denied any such occurrence, maintaining that he had never hit Jakob or anyone else within or outside his household.
Additionally, Gjert refuted claims that he had verbally abused Jakob during his childhood, denying allegations that he had called him “stupid,” an “idiot,” or a “terrorist.”
The trial, which is set to continue for several weeks, remains ongoing.
