Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid stunned viewers after breaking down in tears on live television moments after winning bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics, using the interview to publicly confess to cheating on his girlfriend and apologising for what he called “the biggest mistake of my life.” The 28-year-old made the emotional admission to NRK, Norway’s state broadcaster, after finishing third in the men’s 20km individual biathlon at the Milan-Cortina Games, his first individual Olympic medal.
Sturla Holm Laegreid is one of Norway’s most successful biathletes, a seven-time world champion and a two-time Olympic medallist. He previously won Olympic gold in the relay at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing and has collected 14 world championship medals, including seven golds.
After winning bronze behind fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn, who took gold, and France’s Éric Perrot, Laegreid used his post-race interview to speak about his personal life rather than his sporting success.
“There’s someone I wanted to share it with who might not be watching,” he said. “Six months ago I met the love of my life—the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her.”
Speaking later to Norwegian newspaper VG, Laegreid said his decision to go public was deliberate. “My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table… I have nothing to lose. I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes.”
He repeated those sentiments after the medal ceremony, saying he hoped his girlfriend could “continue to love me,” while stressing that he did not want to reveal her identity.
Laegreid later questioned whether his confession had been the right choice, admitting he hoped he had not taken attention away from Botn’s gold medal.
“Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview,” he said. “I don’t want to steal the show. I hope this is just like a day-or-two thing. Then you are an Olympic gold medallist forever.”
Naman is a copy editor at Times Now, with over three years experience in covering US News, politics, global affairs, sports, and other domains. Apart...View More
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