Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s father did everything to turn him into the perfect athlete – but the cost was enormous

Jakob Ingebrigtsen grasps a long tube while running on a treadmill and performing a VO2 max fitness test in a laboratory. open image in gallery Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates winning the 5,000m final at the Paris Olympics open image in gallery Jakob Ingebrigtsen competes in the men’s Under-20 race as a 16-year-old in Chia, Italy in 2016 But while Wightman, Kerr and, earlier this year, American Cole Hocker have chipped away at the fragility of his closing speed, Ingebrigtsen has been coping with far more adversity away from the track. That I have weaknesses as a father, and have been too much of a coach, is a realisation I have also come to, albeit far too late.” To make matters even more uncomfortable for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, after separating from his son on the track, Gjert joined forces with Narve Nordas, a Norwegian rival and strong contender on the world scene in his events. open image in gallery Brothers Henrik, Jakob and Filip Ingebrigtsen Nordas has been competing without Gjert inside the stadiums as a result of the ongoing feud, with the brothers seeking the help of the Norwegian athletics federation to ensure they did not cross paths at the Bislett Stadium, home of Norway’s Diamond League event, or the Stade de France at last summer’s Olympics. open image in gallery Jakob Ingebrigtsen celebrates winning the Under-20 race in Samorin, Slovakia in 2017 at 17 years old open image in gallery Jakob will return to the mud at Euro Cross this weekend And Ingebrigtsen has collected a series of impressive records in recent years, including world records over the 2,000m, 3,000m, two miles and 1,500m indoors, while also coming agonisingly close to one of the world’s most fiendishly difficult world records to break: Hicham El Guerrouj’s 26-year 1,500m world record at 3 minutes 26 seconds.