Olympic gold medallist Jakob Ingebrigsten and his brothers Henrik and Filip are three of Norway’s best known athletes – and now, they can all add ‘pop star’ to their CVs.
Together known as The IngebritZ, the track running trio released their very own song ahead of the Opening Ceremony in Paris to honour the strength and success of Norway at previous Olympics. The single, Ingen gjør det bedre, meaning ‘Nobody does it better’, is a bona fide bop, and you won’t be alone if you find it playing on repeat in your head for the rest of the summer.
Accompanying the song is a music video, produced with the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, which features archival footage of Norwegian Olympians competing and winning at Games gone by. Interspersing this are sweeping shots of the siblings singing and dancing on a mountaintop in their homeland, looking relaxed and very much off duty. For Jakob in particular, this is a far cry from the serious-looking, fierce-talking competitor that we usually see in the front pack on the track.
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It is, without doubt, a Eurovision-worthy performance by the athlete boy band – and even non-Norwegian speakers are finding themselves bopping along to the song, which is available on Spotify.
The catchy chorus, translated to English, goes:
Norwegian people
Today we make the king proud
Today we make the king proud
When we loft the gold up
Norwegian people
Today we make the king proud
Today we make the king proud
When we loft the gold up
Nobody does it better
Henrik and Filip, like Jakob, are accomplished middle-distance runners who have competed at previous Olympic Games and World Championships. But, this summer, it’s Jakob who will be looking to live up to those lyrics. As the reigning Olympic champion in the 1500m, he’ll be looking to repeat the feat in Paris - and double up with a gold medal in the 5000m as well. In fact, Jakob’s 1500m race is of extra-special interest, as he’ll be up against Britain’s fearsome Josh Kerr, the current world champion over the distance and his number one rival.
That aside, Filip told NRK that the song is ‘primarily for fun’ – and he hopes that it can be played at both the Olympic Stadium and at after parties throughout the Games. While we’re very much rooting for Team GB, you may find yourself supporting Norway, too, after listening to two and a half minutes of The IngebritZ.
If Norway wins any gold in Paris, why play the Norwegian national anthem for the medal ceremony when Ingen gjør det bedre could resound instead?
