During trial, Jacob Ingebrichtsen, who won gold in the Paris game at 5,000m and 1,500m in Tokyo, claimed that his childhood was eroded by fear and manipulation at the hands of his father Gujat, who pleaded guilty.
Last updated: 16/06/25 6:47 PM
Jacob Ingebrigtsen was in court for a criminal case against his father and former coach Gjert Arne Ingebrigtsen
The athletics coach is permitted to abuse his son, Olympic gold medalist Jacob Ingebrigzen.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 59, is found guilty of one count of minor assault on his 19-year-old daughter Ingrid and avoids prison after being sentenced to 15 days of suspension.
He was ordered to pay around £730 in compensation after being convicted of hitting her with a wet towel.
During the trial, 24-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen won gold in 5,000m in Paris in 2014 and 1,500m in Tokyo 2021, but claimed that his childhood was plagued by fear and manipulation.
Prosecutors had sought a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for defendants accused of domestic abuse against Jacob and his sister.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen pleaded not guilty and told the court that he was an overly protective father trying to help his ambitious children.
His lawyer said the verdict “there is no evidence that he has created continuous fear in his children.”
Courtroom sketch of Gjert Ingebrigtsen, former coach and father of Jacob Ingebrigtsen
One member of his legal team said, “In this case there is no winner. He hopes that one day he will have a relationship with his family again.”
The family became prominent in Norwegian media through Team Ingebrigutzen, a television documentary series that ran from 2016 to 2021.
He showed that his father was coaching his three sons Jacob, Philip and Henrik.
However, in 2022, the trio said goodbye, and the following year they co-signed a newspaper column in which he accused of physical violence and threats, which led to a police investigation.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is a gold medalist and world champion at two Olympics, 1500m and 5000m
A spokesperson said Gjert Ingebrigtsen was “reliable” by the ruling, but it is unclear whether the prosecutors are planning to appeal.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing Jacob and Ingrid said they were pleased that the court believed in some elements of the case.
The trial, which lasted for almost two months, was heard from a list of long-term witnesses, including family members, sports officials and other athletes.
Ingebrigtsen is currently coaching 1,500m Jacob’s rival, Narve Gilje Nordas.
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