Athletics-Father of Ingebrigtsen brothers charged with physical abuse

(Reuters) -Norwegian police said on Monday they have pressed charges against Gjert Ingebrigtsen, the father of Olympic 1,500 metres champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, for alleged physical abuse.

His lawyer said in a statement to Reuters that Ingebrigtsen had been "indicted on charges of domestic violence involving one of his minor children over a limited period. The case has been dismissed regarding all other alleged victims."

Ingebrigtsen, 58, has strenuously denied all the allegations.

Jakob, 23, and his older brothers Henrik, 33, and Filip, 31, who are also Olympic runners, last year made public claims that their father - who was their coach until 2022 - had been violent.

Norwegian police said only that Ingebrigtsen had been charged but did not elaborate.

"Mr Ingebrigtsen disputes the account of events that form the basis of the indictment and, as such, does not acknowledge any criminal wrongdoing," his lawyer John Christian Elden added in the statement.

"An indictment has been issued based on the allegations of one individual. We intend to contest these claims vigorously in court."

The family rift has been the subject of speculation since Gjert announced in 2022 that he was stepping down as coach, not long after Jakob raced to Olympic gold in Tokyo.

(Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Matthew Lewis and Ken Ferris)