When the lights had gone out in the stadium and the interviews had been completed, Ingebrigtsen stood waiting in a car on the opposite side of where the athletes left the facility.
He has not made himself visible during the athletes’ stay in Huelva and has kept a low profile after he was charged with abuse in close relationships on Monday.
Ingebrigtsen barely managed to congratulate the students Per Svela and Nordås on their good runs, before they drove off. NRK did not have time to ask for a comment from the coach.
– It is a sad case for all parties. An indictment is an indictment, but there is no verdict yet, says Nordås to NRK.
– Can you continue to have him as a coach?
– Yes I believe.
– Has information emerged that has caused you to consider the collaboration?
– No, you have to be able to distinguish between what is information and what are claims. What is fact and what is not. There are many surprises along the way and things that seem far-fetched. Not everything you think is completely logical then, he comments.
He also adds:
– Then it is like that you either have to trust him and what he says or not. Then you have to go for what seems most logical to you. That is the case here and now.
Won the 1500 meters in Spain
Narve Gilje Nordås speaks after he won the 1500 meters in Spanish Huelva. Then he helped team-mate Per Svela to take the EC requirement in the 5000 metres.
Nordås won with a time of 3.34.11 after a tenacious final sprint, while Filip Ingebrigtsen ran in 3.38.91. It lasted until 12th place.
The subpoena comes the day after Gjert Ingebrigtsen was prosecuted for violating section 282 of the Criminal Code, which applies to abuse in close relationships, against one of the victims in the case against him.
Gjert Ingebrigtsen is present in Spain together with Nordås.
His defenders John Christian Elden and Heidi Reisvang have stated that Ingebrigtsen disagrees with the presentation of the events on which the indictment is based, and that he does not plead guilty.
The two Norwegians did not speak to each other when Nordås ran off straight after crossing the finish line to the starting line of the 5000 metres.
There, the 25-year-old was supposed to help teammate Per Svela.
In the 5000 metres, Nordås almost acted as a hare for his training partner, who ran into 4th place with a time of 13:19.84, which is also below the EC requirement of 13:20.00.
– He is one of the world‘s best athletes, and he shows it. He is so extremely well trained. Not many people in the circus are that well trained. You win a 1500, jog 200 meters and start again, boasts teammate Svela.
Filip Ingebrigtsen was number 12 in Huelva with a time of 3.38.91.
Photo: Fredrik Tombra / NRK
Ingebrigtsen, on the other hand, was nowhere near any of the requirements for the two championships this summer.
Ingebrigtsen is nevertheless satisfied with the work he has been able to do this winter.
– I wonder if it is exactly the same time that I ran in the first competition in 2016. Then I won EC gold and was in pretty good shape in the Olympics, he points out.
Responding to comments
It caused a stir earlier on Tuesday when it became known that Narve Gilje Nordås suddenly made changes before the Meeting Iberoamericano in Huelva in Spain – and chose to compete in the same race as Filip Ingebrigtsen in the 1500 metres.
Narve Gilje Nordås was originally listed on the start lists for 5,000 meters during tonight’s event in Huelva, and a duel against Ingebrigtsen was not part of the plan.
NRK’s athletics expert Vebjørn Rodal thought it could seem like a provocation on Nordås’ part. NRK commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt went even further, calling it an “obvious provocation”.
Per Svela and Narve Gilje Nordås refute the criticism and say it is about sporting assessments, because the 5000 meter field was not strong enough to run under the Olympic requirement of 13.05.
Narve Gilje Nordås and Per Svela arrive at the athletics meet.
Continued cooperation
When Henrik, Filip and Jakob chose to break with their father, Nordås continued with Gjert Ingebrigtsen as coach. He has previously stated that he wanted to wait until all the facts are on the table in the case before making a decision.
The Ingebrigtsen brothers have not wanted to comment on the charge against the father and say this is a “private family situation”.
Dad Ingebrigtsen is Nordås’ coach and is also in place in Spain. This picture is from the European Athletics Championships 2022.
Photo: Hanne Skjellum
The public assistance lawyer Mette Yvonne Larsen, who among other things represents the running brothers, made the following statement about the convention in Spain to Stavanger Aftenblad on Monday.
– On Filip’s behalf, I can say that it is to be hoped that Gilje Nordås, given the development of the case, will now keep a very low profile, Larsen told Aftenbladet.
The case in summary
Expand/minimize fact box
- Gjert Ingebrigtsen is accused of abuse in close relationships, for which he pleads not guilty.
- The Olympic summit confirms that he will not receive Olympic accreditation, in accordance with the recommendation of the Norwegian Athletics Association.
- The Ingebrigtsen brothers have stated that they will not comment on the indictment and are asking for calm in order to be able to focus on sports.
- Top sports manager in Olympiatoppen, Tore Øvrebø, states that the case is sad for all involved and must be allowed to take its course in the legal system.
- Gjert Ingebrigtsen will therefore not be allowed to follow the running comet Narve Gilje Nordås at the athletics stadium during the Olympics.
- Nordås also did not want to comment on the matter in place in Huelva, where he opens the season on Tuesday.
- The Athletics Federation still stands by its decision to deny Ingebrigtsen accreditation to the EC.
The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by NRK’s journalists before publication.
Published 30/04/2024, at 21.13 Updated 30.04.2024, at 23.38