Jakob Ingebrigtsen isn’t just fast; he is lightning fast. Keeping his legacy alive, Jakob is the fastest man in 1500m for the third year in a row. At the top of the 2024 list stands his record at 3:26.73. His closest competition? Cole Hocker, who clocked 3:27.65, and Josh Kerr, with 3:27.79. But what makes Jakob’s record even more of an accomplishment is the fact that he is not dealing with competition but with the remnants of a difficult past, too.

Despite all the hullabaloo, Jakob, on 12 July 2024, in the lead-up to the Olympic Games, broke the European record at the Monaco Herculis Meeting, thus also becoming the fourth man ever to break the 3:27 barrier in the 1500m. Only legends like Asbel Kiprop, Bernard Lagat, and Hicham El Guerrouj have gone faster. But behind these historic wins lies a story of family strife.

For years, Jakob Ingebrigtsen and his brothers Henrik and Filip were coached by their father, Gjert. A relationship that the world saw as good because Jakob kept stacking medals. But in a shocking article penned by the brothers themselves, they took off the rose-colored glasses. Gjert and his boys were once stars of reality TV in Norway. The twist, however, came only when Jakob’s father stepped down as coach last year. The official reason? Medical. The real reason?

“We have grown up with a father who has been very aggressive and controlling and who has used physical violence and threats as part of his upbringing,” the brothers revealed. They went on to talk about how fear was an emotion they constantly lived with. “Somehow we have accepted this. We have lived with it, and in adulthood we have moved on. At least we thought so. In retrospect, we realise that it was naive,” they added. When the brothers decided to part ways with their father, it was not without drama.

Gjert denied the allegations, calling them baseless. “I have never used violence against my children. 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,” he said, defending himself. Gjert also went on to add, “I am far from perfect as a father and husband, but I am not violent. First of all, this is a tragic situation for my family – that we have come to the point where we are spreading false accusations against each other in the media. It makes me deeply unhappy. How we are going to get past this I don’t know, but we have to try.”

Getting past years of trauma is going to be a difficult mountain to climb for Jakob Ingebrigtsen. However, even with all the family drama, the marathoner hasn’t slowed down one bit. Instead, he has channeled his energy into breaking records. Whatever it may be, his history with Gjert hasn’t stopped him; in fact, it seems to have fueled him. From his 2022 indoor world record at 3:30.60 to this year’s performances, Jakob is showing that no hurdle—even if it’s family—can hold him back.

In 2024 alone, Ingebrigtsen won 1500m at the 2024 Oslo Diamond League, clocking 3:29.74. If that wasn’t enough, he also won the 2024 European Athletics Championships, clocking 3:31.95. Jakob also ran the 5000m at the 2024 European Athletics Championships and the 1500m at the Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels, where he clocked 3:27.83 and 3:30.37, respectively. Yet, even amid these victories, Jakob’s season had one surprising twist.

Even the fastest men can have lapses!

And for Jakob Ingebrigtsen, this lapse came during a daring attempt. After his golden season at the Diamond League, he tested his limits at the 2024 Copenhagen Half Marathon. Bold, right? But unfortunately, it didn’t exactly go as planned. After 10 km, the 23-year-old champion hit the wall. Ingebrigtsen finished 34th, a position no one saw coming for the reigning 5,000m Olympic champion. He crossed the finish line in 63 minutes and 13 seconds.

Paris 2024 Olympics – Athletics – Men’s 1500m Final – Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France – August 06, 2024. Josh Kerr of Britain celebrates after winning silver as Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway looks dejected REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel“21 km is definitely too long,” Jakob admitted after the race. “I’m definitely not going to try again for a couple of years. It was fun but tough.” Sometimes, even the best need to face reality, right? But what makes Jakob’s attempt noteworthy is the fact that he went into the Copenhagen race knowing he hadn’t trained specifically for the half marathon. Despite the shortcomings, he broke the 10km record early in the race. It was after this that his body started to give up on him. The final 5km took Jakob a full 16 minutes to finish.

An unfortunate ending to a rather daring decision. But the story is far from over. Looking at his history, if there is one thing the world knows without an ounce of doubt, it is that Jakob Ingebrigtsen always comes back stronger. A few months of downtime and reflection, and who knows? We might just see Jakob return to set yet another world record in another category. Maybe he’ll even come back and claim the marathon next!