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Norwegian sportsman Sturla Holm Laegreid dropped a bombshell during a live interview following his bronze medal performance in the Olympic biathlon.
ANTERSELVA DI MEZZO, Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol — During a post-competition interview, the bronze medalist in the men’s Olympic biathlon on Tuesday shared a startling confession. Laegreid admitted to infidelity during a live segment, catching many off guard.
Laegreid, a leading figure in Norway’s biathlon scene, secured third place in the grueling 20-kilometer individual event. Yet, speaking to Norwegian broadcaster NRK at the Milan Cortina Games, his emotions were heavy with regret.
“Six months ago, I met the love of my life—the most beautiful, kind-hearted person,” Laegreid confessed, his voice choked with emotion. “Three months ago, I made a terrible mistake and was unfaithful to her.”
He disclosed that he had confessed to his partner about the incident just a week ago.
“I’m sure many people now see me in a different light, but I only have eyes for her,” he said. “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. I wish I could share this with her.”
Laegreid’s teammate Johan-Olav Botn shot perfectly in his Olympic debut to secure the gold medal while Eric Perrot of France, the overall World Cup leader, missed one shot and finished 14.8 seconds behind Botn to take silver. Laegreid also missed on target and was 48.3 seconds behind, taking the bronze.
It was Laegreid’s first individual Olympic medal. He was part of the relay team that took gold at the Beijing Olympics.
But instead of celebrating, he was distraught, crying and hugging friends, after the race. During a news conference he explained why he decided to tell the world about his personal situation on the TV broadcast.
“It was the choice I made. We make different choices during our life and that’s how we make life,” he told a room full of journalists. “So 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 said he felt bad about upstaging his teammate with his deeply personal news.
“Now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day,” he said. “Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I’m not really here, mentally.”
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