Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father of Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, has been cleared of abusing his son, but has been found guilty of violence against his daughter, Ingrid Ingebrigtsen. Gjert, also former trainer of Jakob and his brothers, went on trial in March, sued by his sons because of control and physical violence toward Jakob and his sister Ingrid. Jakob went on to say he couldn't remember a single good memory from his childhood, and that his father kicked him when he was eight and also forced him to break up with his girlfriend and eventually wife.
Gjert denied being violent with his children and described himself as "overly protective". The court said that insufficient evidence was found to support Jakob's claims that "the defendant subjected Jakob to continuous and repeated abuse throughout the period from 2008 to 2018", admitting that Jakob and his brothers and spouse gave credible statement, but "there is reasonable doubt about the defendant's guilt" (via BBC).
However, Gjert was found guilty of hitting Ingrid, now 19, in the face with a towel during in 2022. He has been sentenced to 15 days in prison (suspended) and a fine of 10,000 Norwegian Kroner (€871, £745).
The middle and long distance runner is one of Norway's greatest sport celebrities, and his family used to star in a popular reality show, titled Team Ingebrigtsen, which also starred his brothers Henrik and Filip, also professional runners, between 2016 and 2021.