Olympic champion testifies against manipulative’ father

Jakob Ingebrigtsen described living with "no free will" during a violent childhood as he testified against his father and former coach Gjert at a trial yesterday.

- LAWRENCE OSTLERE

Gjert Ingebrigtsen denies physically abusing two of his children, one of whom is double Olympic champion Jakob. The younger sibling cannot be named for legal reasons. The 59-year-old Gjert faces up to six years in prison, with the trial due to run until 16 May in Sandnes, Norway.

“My upbringing was closely tied to fear,” Jakob said. “I’ve been aware of a fear-based culture for a long time. As a teenager, it was a concept I really identified with, because I felt I had no free will or say in anything. I was in an environment where everything was controlled and decided for me. There was an enormous amount of manipulation.”

During the first day of the trial on Monday, Gjert Ingebrigtsen told the court he was innocent of the charges against him. He is due to testify next week.

Gjert’s intense training methods were the subject of the popular documentary