Filip Ingebrigtsen: Norwegian Olympic Athlete Still Struggling 7 Months After Severe Reaction To COVID Vaccine

NORWAY – 28-year-old Norwegian 1500 meter runner Filip Ingebrigtsen has had a tough 2021 after a severe reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine. Filip, a two-time olympic athlete, was first vaccinated in March. He suffered from lack of energy for several months and was only able to complete one training session after receiving the jab. He and his team didn’t understand what was wrong with him until recently when tests showed that he was suffering side effects from his first COVID jab.

Filip Ingebrigtsen at the European Championships in Berlin, 2018

His brother, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, just had the best season in his career, winning the Olympic gold at the 1500 meters in Tokyo. Filip stood in his little brother’s shadow during the games however and didn’t reach his normal performance level due to his severe reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Everyday activities have been a struggle for Filip since his vaccination in March and he has had countless blood samples taken in an attempt to diagnose his condition.

Asked if the two-time Olympic athlete regrets getting vaccinated, he said:

“In retrospect, when you get negative results and that puts limits on whether you can do your job, you regret it. But I’m pretty sure I would have done the same thing again. I feel bad that it has had such a negative effect and I wish I didn’t have these problems. I didn’t know it would turn out like this. Sadly, this time it went wrong for me.”

Ingebrigtsen brothers Filip, Jakob and Henrik at the World Championships in Doha, 2019

Although the cause of his health problems have been found, they are still affecting him. The middle-distance runner will have to continue to train with low intensity until his body responds normally again, according to his father Gjert Ingebrigtsen.

“I am now working on getting back to normal training,” Filip added.

Despite the side effects from his shot in March, Filip proceeded to get a second dose which reportedly gave him moderate side effects, just after the Tokyo Olympics in August.

All the Ingebrigtsen brothers are now fully vaccinated.