Jakob Ingebrigtsen tells court of fear and control in testimony against father
Double Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen described a childhood marked by fear and manipulation when he took the witness stand on Tuesday to testify against his father and former coach. Gjert Ingebrigtsen has pleaded not guilty to charges of physically abusing two of his children, including the track athlete. The 59-year-old faces up to six years in prison, with the trial due to run until May 16 in Sandnes, Norway. “My upbringing was closely tied to fear. 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,” said Jakob Ingebrigtsen, who won 5,000 meters gold at the Paris Games and the 1,500 metres in Tokyo. Story continues below this ad “I was in an environment where everything was controlled and decided for me. There was an enormous amount of manipulation,” he was quoted as telling the court by Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. During the first day of the trial on Monday, Gjert …

