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The Ingebrigtsen brothers, a trio of Norwegian Olympic middle-distance runners, have released a song together ahead of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony, and it is surprisingly catchy.
Titled Ingen gjor det bedre, which translates to “Nobody does it better”, the song’s lyrics describe the brothers’ pride at representing Norway on the international stage and their love for their supporters. Written in an anthemic pop style reminiscent of a Eurovision foot-tapper, the oft repeated chorus addresses the Norwegian population, saying: “People of Norway, Today we make the King proud, when we lift up the gold.”
The video description explains that the brothers – Henrik, Filip and Olympic champion Jakob – “want to contribute to creating commitment and a good atmosphere around the Olympics”, with the trio adding in an interview: “When you hear this song, as an athlete, you feel that you have all Norwegians behind you. Everyone cheers for you because you represent Norway.”
The music video, which took three days to produce, depicts the three brothers performing their song on a Swiss mountaintop, donning traditional Norwegian dress and vintage athletics outfits. Clips of Norwegian Olympic triumphs of old are also interspersed throughout the performance, with oblique jabs made against Scandinavian rivals Sweden.
Henrik, Filip, and Jakob have spent the vast majority of their lives under the strict tutelage of their father, Gjert, who holds athletics in high esteem and has strict demands for his children. The competition between the siblings is fierce, though loving. A clip is shared in the Team Ingebrigtsen documentary in which Jakob is asked his life ambition, and the child states that his life goal is simply to beat his older brother, Henrik.
That training routine, which saw the children placed onto what was effectively a professional-standard training programme, did bring results, as Jakob finally won gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021, setting an Olympic record time of 3:28.32 in the 1500m. Jakob shares a fierce rivalry with Britain’s Josh Kerr and their clash in the 1500m final in Paris is expected to be one of the highlights of the Games.
The Ingebrigtsen brothers, who released the song under the moniker ‘The IngebritZ’, are not in good company as athletes who release music on the side. French football legend Eric Cantona has made a much maligned foray into music since hanging up his boots, his Dylanesque ballads making little impact in the charts. 1997 Formula One world champion Jaques Villeneuve also made an attempt to move into music following his retirement, though his debut album sold just 1,039 copies.
