The father of double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen allegedly forced his daughter to continue running despite her struggling to breathe after forgetting to take her asthma medication, a court has heard.
Ingrid Ingebrigtsen described an incident in which her father, Gjert, scolded her while she ran on a treadmill in the family’s basement. She eventually jumped off, ran to her room, and tried to calm down. She expressed a desire to quit athletics after the event.
A few days later, Ingrid recalled breaking down in tears in front of producers of a fly-on-the-wall documentary series that followed the family. When asked a routine question about her future in athletics, she found herself unable to see one and became overwhelmed with emotion. The interview was halted as those present reacted with shock.
The documentary, one of the most successful in Norwegian television history, did not always portray reality as it was, Ingrid told the court. Having been recorded since she was five years old, she felt she had little choice in the matter. While the series was not entirely staged, she noted that certain discussions were prompted and structured for filming.
Gjert faces accusations of using threats, coercion, and violence against his daughter, as well as restricting her freedom. The charges carry a potential six-year prison sentence. He denies all allegations.
On the second day of her testimony, Ingrid recounted an instance in which her father put his finger in her face and whipped her with a wet towel when she asked to go out with friends. Their relationship deteriorated further after she decided to stop running, and she claimed she was kept at home against her will.
She described feeling ignored and trapped in her own home, recalling that her father had once told her he no longer saw her as his daughter. When she pushed back against his refusal to let her leave the house one evening, he allegedly reacted aggressively.
She described pushing his finger away after he pointed it at her. He then struck her with a wet towel, hitting her on the cheek. Following the altercation, she ran to the home of her brother’s wife, who lived nearby.
Afterward, she said her father called her repeatedly, insisting that she return home, even suggesting that he would come to get her if she refused.
During cross-examination, the court reviewed text messages from 2021, which indicated that Ingrid had never previously requested a day off from training before she ultimately decided to quit. The court was also presented with a message from Gjert dated January 6, 2022, following the alleged towel incident. In the message, he apologized and promised never to raise his voice against her again.
A photograph of a mark on Ingrid’s face was shown as part of the evidence. The incident ultimately led Jakob and his brothers to end their training relationship with their father. The trial is expected to continue until mid-May.
