Article by Roxana Fleşeru – Published Tuesday, February 10, 2026 8:28 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, February 10, 2026 8:35 p.m.
Sturla Holm Laegreid (28 years old) won the bronze medal in the 20 km biathlon, and after the race, in the interview for a Norwegian television, she made a confession with tears in her eyes.
A post-race interview with the 20km individual biathlon bronze medalist took an unexpected turn when he revealed live that he had cheated on his girlfriend.
Sturla Holm Laegreid, one of the best Norwegian biathletes, made a personal confession in the interview given to the Norwegian station NRK at the Olympic Games in Milan-Cortina, reports AP.
“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The most beautiful and sweetest person in the world. And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her”Laegreid said, fighting back his tears.
He said he told his partner a week ago what happened. “I'm sure a lot of people are looking at me differently now, but I only have eyes for her. I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say with that, but the sport has taken a back seat these past few days. I wish I could share that with her,” he said.
Laegreid's team-mate Johan-Olav Botn shot perfectly on his Olympic debut to secure the gold medal, while France's Eric Perrot, the overall World Cup leader, missed a shot and finished 14.8 seconds behind Botn to take silver. Laegreid also missed a target and finished 48.3 seconds behind, winning bronze.
He explained the gesture at the press conference
But instead of celebrating, after the race he was devastated, crying and hugging his friends. During a press conference, he explained why he decided to tell the world about his personal situation on the TV show.
“It was my choice. In life we make different choices and that's how we build our lives. So today I chose to tell the world what I did, because maybe, just maybe there's a chance she'll understand what it really means to me. Maybe not“.
He said he felt bad for stealing his teammate's attention with his deeply personal news.
“Now I hope I didn't spoil Johan's day. Maybe it was very selfish of me to give that interview. Mentally, I'm not really here,” he concluded.
