Winning an Olympic medal spurred a Norwegian biathlete to shoot his shot … with his ex-girlfriend.
In an emotional interview after he earned the bronze medal in the men’s 20 km. biathlon at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games on Tuesday, Sturla Holm Lægreid surprised audiences with an unprompted personal confession.
Three months ago, he said, he cheated on “the love of [his] life, the most beautiful and kindest person.”
“I told her a week ago. And it’s been the worst week of my life,” he told Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). “I had a gold medal in life, and there’s probably a lot of people out there who look at me differently now, but I only have eyes for her. Sports has taken a bit of a back seat these past couple of days. Yeah, I wish I could share this with her.”
Lægreid, 28, brought up the topic by saying that he had wanted to share his win with someone “who might not be watching today.”
Without naming his ex-partner, he said that he met her six months ago. She broke up with him once he told her about his betrayal.
“I’m not ready to give up. I hope that committing social suicide [like this] might show her how much I love her,” Lægreid said. I accept the consequences of what I’ve done. I regret it with all my heart. Maybe I’m dumb as a rock. I’m a member of Mensa, but I still do stupid stuff.”
He said he’s “realized that this is the woman of my life, and I can’t live my whole life keeping that from her. My only path to the finish line is to tell her everything and put it all on the table, and hope that she’ll still love me. I’ve done that for her, and now for the entire world. I’ve nothing to lose.”
The attempt to make an appeal to his ex on the global stage quickly made the rounds online, stirring intrigue and confusion. One Swedish sports journalist called it the “strangest medal interview I’ve seen.”
I’m a member of Mensa, but I still do stupid stuff
-olympian Sturla Holm Lægreid
Lægreid is a six-time Biathlon World Champion and was a relay gold medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. His bronze win Tuesday was his first Olympic medal this year.
When asked how he managed to score the bronze despite his tough week, Lægreid told NRK that his club back home sent him a video that he used for motivation.
“I want to be a good role model, but I have to own up to my mistakes,” he said. “You have to recognize when you’ve done something you can’t defend and hurt someone you love so deeply.”
When asked about his infidelity, Lægreid’s teammate Johannes Dale-Skjevdal said some fellow athletes were aware of the incident.
“Yeah, we knew. I don’t have much to say about it,” Dale-Skjevdal told NRK. “It’s good that he’s open about it, and if he wants to talk about things, that’s fine, but I think it’s difficult for me to comment on now.”
Martin Uldal, however, said he was in the dark.
“I’ve noticed that he’s been acting differently, but I didn’t really know why,” Uldal said. “I thought it was maybe just nerves. I’m very sad to hear it. It’s a really tough situation. We will comfort him.”
Johan-Olav Botn, who earned the gold medal in Lægreid’s event, said the whole affair is “none of [his] business,” and that his own win was “first and foremost a personal and emotional victory” — before Lægreid cut in to apologize.
“Sorry if I ruined your day,” Lægreid said. “But I think he understands. I don’t want to steal the limelight today.”
Caroline Radnofsky contributed.