Gjert had no background in athletics, however the former logistics supervisor poured himself into developing a gruelling high-mileage programme to show his seven kids right into a household band of elite middle-distance contenders.
Gjert’s public recommendation to Jakob after that 1500m gold in Berlin was to rejoice with a glass of heat milk and head straight to mattress.
Nonetheless, based on Jakob, the steerage wasn’t all the time so healthful.
In March this 12 months, the Olympic champion stood in a courtroom in his native Norway and claimed he had been subjected to a decade of bodily and psychological abuse by his father.
The tales had been grim.
Jakob mentioned Gjert had threatened to pull him out of a automotive and beat him to demise throughout one argument.
Jakob mentioned he would typically be punched across the head, on some events till he vomited. He mentioned he was hit when he was late for a race. And once more when he obtained a foul faculty report.
In one other incident, he claimed he was kicked within the abdomen after he fell off a push scooter as a nine-year-old.
Gjert denied all of it.
He admitted he was a strict dad or mum. “Conventional” and “patriarchal” had been his personal descriptions of his type.
Gjert was solely 4 when he misplaced his personal father, and he mentioned he lacked any position fashions when he turned a father in his early 20s.
He mentioned he was generally indignant, usually over-protective, however by no means abusive.
The dispute was stunning. However maybe not stunning.
In 2019 Gjert and Jakob spoke to BBC Sport about their relationship.
“The boys come to me and say ‘I wish to be a European champion’,” Gjert defined.
“I say ‘I wish to enable you – I may also help you – however you must do all the pieces that I inform you.’
“I stand out from different dad and mom. I’m very demanding and it’s a sort of contract between me and the boys to assist them be one of the best they are often – however they need to endure me following them each day all 12 months.”
