Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid secured bronze in the men’s 20-kilometer individual race at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday, but his post-race interview quickly shifted from athletic triumph to raw personal regret.
In an emotional live broadcast with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Lægreid fought back tears as he admitted to cheating on his girlfriend — whom he called “the love of my life, the world’s most beautiful, sweetest person” — three months earlier. He said he had confessed to her a week ago, describing the intervening period as “the worst week of my life.”
“Six months ago I met the love of my life,” Lægreid said. “And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her. … I’m sure many people now see me in a different light, but I only have eyes for her.”
NEW: Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid admits to cheating on his girlfriend after winning a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.
Sturla Holm Laegreid broke down in tears as he talked about the "worst week" of his life.
"I had a gold medal in my life, and there are… pic.twitter.com/VDB1pNlRue
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 10, 2026
The 28-year-old, a seven-time world champion and member of Norway’s gold-medal relay team from the 2022 Beijing Games, said he hoped the public admission — which he termed “committing social suicide” — might demonstrate his commitment and persuade her to reconsider their relationship.
“I accept the consequences of what I’ve done. I regret it with all my heart,” he added at a later press conference. “Today I made a choice to tell the world what I did, so maybe … there is a chance she will see what she really means to me. Maybe not.”
Lægreid expressed concern that his revelation might overshadow teammate Johan-Olav Botn’s gold-medal performance in the same event, where Botn shot perfectly for the win and France’s Eric Perrot took silver. Lægreid missed one target and finished 48.3 seconds behind Botn.
“I’m not really here, mentally,” he said. “Now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day. Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview.”
The unusual confession drew swift reactions on social media, where users expressed a mix of sympathy, surprise and humor.
One observer noted the dramatic turn: “Norwegian skiier wins a bronze medal at the olympics then tells the interviewer he regrets cheating on his girlfriend (!?)”
Others focused on the girlfriend’s perspective, with one posting: “I need to see what the ex girlfriend of the Norwegian biathlon bronze medalist looks like, she must be so beautiful if she’s got him confessing to cheating to the world and begging for her forgiveness on live tv.”
Several highlighted the absurdity amid Olympic glory: “sports are not reality tv” ok what if I told you there’s a norwegian biathlete who confessed to cheating on his girlfriend on camera immediately after winning a bronze medal?”
Another user captured the shock: “Not this Norwegian bronze medal winner admitting he cheated on the love of his life in the middle of his live interview and then bursting into tears … 😳 #olympics”
The incident, unrelated to any sports rule violation, underscored how personal turmoil can intersect with athletic achievement on the global stage. Lægreid’s bronze marked his first individual Olympic medal.
