Norway’s Laegreid wins Olympic biathlon bronze, then stuns Games by admitting he cheated on partner
Fresh off the podium with a Winter Olympics bronze medal, Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid stunned the biathlon world by publicly admitting he cheated on his girlfriend and pleading for forgiveness in an emotional interview that quickly eclipsed his result.
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The 28-year-old biathlete made the revelation to Norway’s state broadcaster shortly after finishing third in a race won by compatriot Johan-Olav Botn, with Eric Perrot of France taking silver. Laegreid, a world champion and one of Norway’s most accomplished marksmen-skiers, said he decided to speak because he “had nothing to lose.”
“I realized that this is the woman in my life, and I can’t live my whole life keeping it a secret from her,” Laegreid told Norwegian newspaper VG. “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’ve done that for her, and now for the whole world.”
Choking up, Laegreid said the mistake happened three months ago and that he told his partner a week before the race. “It’s been the worst week of my life,” he said. He did not name her.
Laegreid’s candor — rare in the immediate afterglow of an Olympic medal — ricocheted around the Games within hours, turning a routine mixed-zone interview into one of the day’s dominant storylines. The confession also shifted attention away from the sporting feat itself: a podium shared with a resurgent Botn and the in-form Perrot at the peak event on the biathlon calendar.
“I had a gold medal in my life,” Laegreid said, comparing his relationship to the Olympics’ top prize. “There are probably many who look at me with different eyes, but I only have eyes for her. Sport has taken a slightly different place in my life the last few days. Yes, I wish I could share it with her.”
About an hour after his televised remarks, Laegreid appeared to second-guess the timing. “Of course, now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day,” he said of gold medalist Botn. “Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I’m not really here mentally.”
Later, speaking again to VG after the interview spread widely, Laegreid repeated his appeal for a second chance. “I told her a week ago, and then it ended, of course. I’m not ready to give up,” he said. “I’m taking the consequences for what I’ve done, I regret it with all my heart.”
The Norwegian also pointed to the emotional currents surrounding the team following the December death of teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken. While he did not draw a direct line between that loss and Sunday’s outpouring, he acknowledged the strain of the season and the weight he carried into the start line. “I’m a bit… I don’t know,” he said of his mental state. “We will see what happens.”
Laegreid’s victory-lap moment turning into a public reckoning underscores how the Olympics — with their unforgiving platform and global audience — can magnify athletes’ private lives as much as their performances. In the space of minutes, the story of a meticulously executed race became something more complicated: a plea for personal redemption played out live, with the biathlon world looking on.
Even as the confession dominated conversation, Laegreid tried to reassert the ideals he said he hopes to live up to within a sport that prizes precision, accountability and control. “I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes,” he said. “You have to admit when you do something you can’t stand behind, and when you hurt someone you love so much.”
For Botn, who delivered a marquee win for Norway, and Perrot, who continued a strong season with silver, the day’s results will endure on the results sheet. For Laegreid, the bronze is now inseparable from a moment that revealed the human frailty behind the rifle and bib — and the cost of a choice he says he will spend far longer than a race trying to make right.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
