Sturla Holm Lægreid turned a career-defining moment into a viral scandal when he admitted to cheating.
Image: Instagram.
At the Winter Olympics Milano Cortina 2026, the biggest drama wasn’t on the snow - it was on the sidelines.
Norwegian biathlon star Sturla Holm Lægreid made headlines for a scandal rather than a career-defining moment when he used his bronze-medal interview to confess to cheating on his girlfriend. The revelation quickly turned viral.
Just minutes after securing third place in the 20km individual race, Lægreid broke down in tears before a live audience with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, delivering a public apology to his ex-girlfriend.
Lægreid shared that he met the "love of his life" six months ago. However, he admitted to being unfaithful three months into the relationship.
"Six months ago, I met the love of my life, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her," he said.
He confessed the affair to her just one week before flying to the Olympics, leading to an immediate split.
"That's all I've been thinking about for the last week, it's been the worst week of my life ... But I only have eyes for her."
Describing his public confession as "social suicide", the athlete claimed he had nothing left to lose and hoped the grand gesture would prove his devotion.
"My only path to the finish line is to tell her everything and put it all on the table and hope she'll still love me. I've done that for her and now the entire world. I've nothing to lose.
"Maybe there's a chance for her to see what she really means to me, or maybe not, but I don't want to think that I didn't try everything to get her back.
"I had the gold medal in life... and I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her. Sport has come second these last few days."
Why now?
Lægreid’s timing sparked a heated debate. While some saw it as raw honesty, others, including his teammates, felt it selfishly stole the spotlight from fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn, who had actually won the gold in the same race.
Lægreid later explained his fragile mental state was compounded by the recent, tragic passing of teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, leaving him emotionally overwhelmed during the Games.
The ex-girlfriend’s verdict
If Lægreid was looking for a "happily ever after", he didn’t get it.
His ex-girlfriend, who chose to remain anonymous, told Norwegian newspaper "VG" that a public stunt doesn't heal a private betrayal.
"It's hard to forgive even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I did not choose to be put in this situation, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have been in contact, and he is aware of my views on this."
Lægreid is an elite athlete with six World Championships and a previous Olympic gold to his name.