Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid stood on the podium in Milano Cortina with an Olympic bronze around his neck — but celebration was the last thing on his mind.
Moments after finishing third in the men’s 20km individual on Tuesday, the seven-time world champion stunned viewers by confessing live on Norwegian broadcaster NRK that he had cheated on his girlfriend.
Norwegian Olympic bronze medalist Sturla Holm breaks down in tears while using his platform to share that he cheated on his girlfriend pic.twitter.com/SYSHz5iGJ5
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 10, 2026
“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person. And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her,” Laegreid
said, fighting back tears.
He revealed he had told her the truth just a week ago, describing it as “the worst week of my life.”
“I had the gold medal in life,” he said. “I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her. Sport has come second these last few days. I wish I could share this with her.”
On the snow, Laegreid missed one target and finished 48.3 seconds behind teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who shot clean to claim gold in his Olympic debut. France’s Eric Perrot, the overall World Cup leader, took silver after one miss.
It was Laegreid’s first individual Olympic medal, adding to the relay gold he won in Beijing in 2022. But instead of celebrating, he wept, hugging friends and teammates.
At a later press conference, he explained why he went public.
“It was the choice I made,” he said. “Today I made a choice to tell the world what I did so maybe, maybe there is a chance she will see what she really means to me. Maybe not.”
He admitted he feared overshadowing Botn’s triumph. “Now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day. Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I’m not really here, mentally.”
To Norwegian newspaper VG, he added: “My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table, and hope that she can still love me. I have nothing to lose. I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes.”
