(FILES) Second placed Norway's Jakob Ingebrigtsen looks on after competing in the Men's 1500m final during the Diamond League athletics meeting at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich on September 5, 2024. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Stockholm: The father and former coach of double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen has been charged with domestic abuse against his son, the athlete's lawyer said Saturday.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen and two of his brothers, Henrik and Filip, who are also athletes, shocked Norway in October 2023 when they accused their father, Gjert, of being violent.
"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.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen, 58, had already been charged in April with domestic violence against a family member, but it did not concern the trio of known athletes but another, younger child.
The charges have now been amended to include violence against Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Mette Yvonne Larsen, a lawyer who represents Jakob and his sister, told AFP.
"The charges are very serious. They refer to violence over 10 years, since he was a little schoolboy," Larsen said.
A trial is expected in 2025 but a date has not been set yet, Larsen explained.
Gjert, who coached Jakob until after the Olympics three years ago in Tokyo -- where Jakob won 1500m gold -- has denied the accusations against him.
Jakob Ingebrigtsen is the most successful of the three brothers, twice winning gold in the world championships over 5,000m in 2022 and 2023.
He won the 5,000m gold at this summer's Paris Games after finishing fourth in the 1500m.
After breaking with his sons, Gjert Ingebrigtsen shocked Norwegian athletics by becoming the trainer of another runner, Narve Gilje Nordas.
