Norwegian biathlete wins Olympic bronze, then confesses to cheating on girlfriend
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- A Norwegian biathlete wins bronze at the Milan-Cortina Games, then uses a post-race interview to confess that he cheated on his girlfriend three months ago.
- Sturla Holm Lægreid says he made the public confession hoping to persuade the woman to give him another chance.
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid won his first individual Olympic medal on Tuesday, then immediately confessed to cheating — but not in the 20-kilometer individual race.
Lægreid used a post-race interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK to admit he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend.
Live updates from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Get the latest news, results, medal count, TV schedules and highlights from Italy.
Asked how he felt after winning a bronze medal at the Milan-Cortina Games, Lægreid said in Norwegian that the accomplishment was “huge” and went on thank everyone who had helped and supported him.
And then, unprompted, Lægreid started talking about his love life, which has not been going well lately. He started by saying that he wanted to share the moment with one particular person but wasn’t even sure if she was watching.
“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person,” a choked-up Lægreid said. “And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her.”
Lægreid, 28, said he admitted his infidelity to his girlfriend about a week ago.
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“I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to say by saying this now, but sport has taken a back seat in recent days,” said Lægreid, who won an Olympic gold medal in 2022 as part of Norway’s relay team. “I wish I could share this with her.”
Fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn shot perfectly Tuesday to claim the gold medal. France’s Eric Perrot missed one shot and finished 14.8 seconds behind Botn for the silver medal. Lægreid also missed one target and was 48.3 seconds behind.
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Lægreid told Norwegian newspaper VG that his relationship ended when he made his private confession last week. He made his very public confession at one of the biggest moments of his life, he said, in an effort to persuade his girlfriend to give him another chance.
“I hope that committing social suicide might show how much I love her,” Lægreid said, according to a Google translation of the article.
“I have nothing to lose,” he added.
VG later reported that it had been in contact with Lægreid’s ex-girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous.
“It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world,” she wrote to the newspaper.
“I didn’t choose to be put in this position, and it’s painful to have to endure it. We’ve been in contact, and he’s aware of my feelings about this,” she added.
On Wednesday, Lægreid released a statement through the Norwegian team.
“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” he wrote.
“I am not quite myself these days, and not thinking clearly. My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after winning gold. They also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot undo this, but I will now put it behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this.”
Lægreid is scheduled to race in the men’s 15-kilometer mass start on Feb. 20.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
