Jakob Ingebrigtsen heads to the Paris Olympics as the favorite for both the 1500m and 5000m. Confidently describing the Summer Games as a "walk in the park," Ingebrigtsen aims to defend his 1500m title from Tokyo and seek a 5000m double, where he is a two-time world champion.
However, the Norwegian middle-distance star must contend with family turmoil, as his former coach and father, Gjert, is under investigation for domestic violence. "If I don't get injured and I don't get sick, I think it's going to be a walk in the park," Ingebrigtsen told European Athletics' Ignite podcast.
Despite defeats in the last two world championships 1500m finals, Ingebrigtsen remains supremely confident. This self-belief was evident in Rome in June, where he secured his third consecutive European Championships double in the 1500m and 5000m.
"I never go into a race thinking about the things that I've done before," he said. "Winning is something that I'm always going to chase. It's always a great feeling crossing the finish first, especially in a tight race with great competitors."
His triumph in Rome, a perfect boost for Paris, followed a challenging winter spent recovering from an Achilles tendon injury. The Ingebrigtsen brothers, Jakob, Henrik, and Filip, all European 1500m champions, cut ties with their father Gjert in 2022 amid shocking allegations of violence that surfaced last October, gripping Norway.
"We grew up with a very aggressive and authoritarian father, who used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing," the brothers wrote in an op-ed for newspaper VG. "We still feel a sense of discomfort and fear that we have felt since childhood."
Police launched an investigation into the abuse claims, and prosecutors charged Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 58, with domestic violence against one of his children. According to a source, the incidents, spanning from 2018 to 2022, involved a younger child, not the three known athletes.
Gjert allegedly manhandled, insulted, threatened, and hit the child in the face with his hand or a towel. This led to the end of "Team Ingebrigtsen," the documentary series that followed the family from 2016-2020, showcasing Gjert as a demanding father who had his sons run up to 170 kilometers a week and forbade Filip from vacationing with his girlfriend.
"I don't want to be an angry man. I want to be a dad," Gjert tells the camera. "But if we need an angry man to help them realise their dreams, I am ready to be that."
When Jakob married last September, Gjert was not invited, reflecting other cases of controlling sports parents like those of Mary Pierce and Tiger Woods. After parting with his sons, Gjert began coaching Narve Gilje Nordas. The Norwegian Olympic Committee has denied Gjert accreditation for the Paris Olympics. Jakob continues training with his brothers in a "unique" setup.
"The three of us, we're all responsible for our own training. You can say we're training ourselves. At the same time we're coaching each other," Ingebrigtsen said. "It's more of a safety net that's quite big with the experience that's as good as it's ever going to get."
