Gjert Ingebrigtsen Quits Coaching After 13 Years With Narve Gilje Nordås

Gjert Ingebrigtsen has stepped away from coaching, ending a 13-year partnership with world championship 1,500-meter medalist Narve Gilje Nordås and closing out one of the most scrutinized coaching careers in distance running.

The news was first reported by TV 2 on Tuesday and confirmed to VG by Erlend Slokvik, the outgoing sporting director of the Norwegian Athletics Federation. Ingebrigtsen, 60, and Nordås, 27, reached the decision together on Monday night.

“Narve and Gjert have agreed to end the collaboration,” Slokvik told VG, in comments translated from Norwegian. “Our focus is to follow up with Narve going forward and set things up for him. There is no drama in this, it is a mutual understanding.”

Slokvik admitted the decision caught him off guard. “If we go one week back in time, I had not given it any thought,” he said.

Pressed on whether anything else lay behind the split, he said: “Based on the conversations I have had with both of them, and with others, there is nothing to suggest that. They have come to the conclusion that it is right to stop now.”

Neither Ingebrigtsen nor Nordås has commented publicly.

The End Of Viking Athletics

Ingebrigtsen is also parting ways with the rest of his Viking Athletics training group, which included Norway’s Per Svela, Portugal’s José Carlos Pinto, Canada’s Kieran Lumb, and France’s Maël Gouyette, according to TV 2. The group’s Instagram account has already been deleted.

TV 2 reports that Ingebrigtsen had been uncertain about his coaching future for some time, and that repeated conflicts with the Norwegian Athletics Federation had worn down his motivation. After his June 2025 verdict, the federation decided it would not accredit him at future championships.

Earlier this week, Nordås traveled home from an altitude training camp in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

From Family Dynasty To Courtroom

Ingebrigtsen built his reputation coaching his sons Henrik, Filip, and Jakob, guiding Jakob to Olympic 1,500-meter gold in Tokyo before the brothers cut ties with him in 2022. The following year, they publicly accused him of physical violence and intimidation, allegations that led to a criminal trial in which Jakob testified against his father. In June 2025, Gjert was acquitted of abuse but found guilty of one count of assault against his daughter Ingrid, receiving a 15-day suspended sentence.

By then he had already rebuilt his coaching career around Nordås, whom he had trained since the runner’s early teens. The partnership peaked at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, where Nordås took 1,500-meter bronze in 3:29.68 behind Josh Kerr and Jakob Ingebrigtsen.

What Happens To Nordås Now

Slokvik said the federation’s priority is supporting Nordås, who holds the Norwegian 5km record of 13:10, through the rest of the season.

“We will have a look at how we solve those things,” he said. “Everything is in place until the European Championships, then we will look further at it.”

The European Championships open at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on August 10. Nordås’s training plan is locked in until then. The federation will work out what comes after.