Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father and coach of distance running phenomenon Jakob Ingebrigtsen, is in deep legal water. He is now the focus of an investigation for alleged abusive conduct, as well. Gjert rose to prominence mostly by coaching his son, Jakob, to international athletic victory and starring in the documentary “Team Ingebrigtsen,” centered on his family’s success. Instead now, he is at risk of six years in prison. His charges stem from intimidating, coercive, and violent behavior toward his daughter, Ingrid.
The lawsuit has exposed disturbing allegations that focused on how Gjert allegedly verbally abused and physically punished his children. Ingrid alleges that her father forced her to continue running despite her difficulty breathing. She realized she had left her asthma medication behind, and this set her over the edge. One of the events that occurred in the family’s basement allegedly included Gjert yelling at Ingrid and poking her in the chest with his finger. On yet another, he allegedly lashed out by whipping her with a wet towel. It started when she would want to go out with her friends. According to Ingrid, on January 6, 2022, the day after their wedding, Gjert physically assaulted her by hitting her with a towel. Later, she received a text from him, renouncing her as his daughter.
“I had felt trapped in my own home for so long,” – Ingrid
Ingrid made the decision to stop going out in the fall prior to all of this. This decision appears to have pushed her relationship with her father even further. Gjert’s purported conduct went further, too—keeping her a virtual prisoner and employing intimidation and threats.
“He had a small towel that he had been sweating in, so it was wet. He whipped it at my face. First once without hitting. Then he did it once more, and then he hit me on the cheek.” – Ingrid
In response to these allegations, Gjert Ingebrigtsen has publicly denied any and all accusations of violence. The reality couldn’t be further from his perfunctory public relations gloss. Though he is perhaps best known as a kids’ soccer provocateur, his documentary painted the precarious picture of his family life.
Ingrid shared that her traumatic experiences started when she was a little girl. She decided that she had no other option because of the scrutiny with which she grew up under, it being the constant door opener and damper.
“I was five years old when the recording began,” – Ingrid
She was being held hostage and coerced. She saw how the relationship with her own family shifted once the cameras started coming into their lives.
“You could easily notice that something changed when a camera came along.” – Ingrid
Now Gjert’s coaching tactics and personal conduct are under a microscope. Unfortunately, the evidence against him is beginning to cloud over his professional successes.