Olympic biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid revealed that he cheated on his girlfriend on live TV after earning a bronze medal.

Olympian stuns fans by tearfully announcing affair moments after winning medal: ‘Worst week of my life’

Olympic biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid revealed that he cheated on his girlfriend on live TV after earning a bronze medal.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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February 10, 2026 2:51 p.m. ET

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Bronze medalist Sturla Holm Lægreid of Team Norway reacts on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men's 20km Individual on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Feb. 10, 2026 in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy. Credit:

Alexander Hassenstein/Getty

Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid broke down in tears after winning bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics — but not for the reason that viewers might expect.

After placing third in the men's 20km biathlon at this year's Milano Cortina Games, Lægreid shocked fans by confessing on live television that he recently cheated on his girlfriend and has been living through the "worst week" of his life.

"There is something I want to share with someone who may not be watching today," Lægreid told NRK, Norway's state broadcaster, moments after earning his medal on Tuesday. "Half a year ago, I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful and nicest person. Three months ago, I made the mistake of my life and cheated on her, and I told her about that a week ago. This has been the worst week of my life."

He continued, "I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her. Sport has come second these last few days. Yes, I wish I could share this with her."

Sturla Holm Laegreid from Norway on the track.

Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty

Asked how he managed to finish in third, in the midst of that emotional turmoil, Lægreid replied, " try to be a good role model and I did something stupid. I got a nice video from the club at home and I used that as motivation today."

In the spirit of trying to be a good role model, he added, "I have to admit when I get something wrong. You have to admit when you do something you can't stand for and hurt someone you love so much."

The biathlete then declined to name his girlfriend, telling the outlet, "She has had enough to deal with after last week but I hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel for us both. And that she can continue to love me."

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Lægreid — who previously won gold in the relay at the Beijing Olympics in 2022 and has 14 world championship medals to his name — won bronze in the Tuesday event, which saw his teammate Johan-Olav Botn win gold and France's Éric Perrot win silver. Asked about his confession later in the day, Lægreid expressed some regret over the timing and public nature of the revelation.

"I hope I didn't ruin Johan's day. Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview," he said at a press conference, per BBC. "I don't know if it was the right choice or not, but it was the choice I made… I don't want to steal the show. I hope this is just like a day-or-two thing. Then you are an Olympic gold medallist forever."

Bronze Medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid of Team Norway at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 10, 2026 in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy.

Grega Valancic/VOIGT/Getty

As for his motivation behind publicly revealing the affair, Lægreid said, "Maybe there's a chance she will see what she really means to me — maybe not, but I don't want to think I didn't try everything to get her back.

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Lægreid wasn't the only competitor battling intense emotions in the midst of the biathlon event. As Botn crossed the finish line to win gold, he shouted the name of their late team-mate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who was found dead in an Italian hotel room on Dec. 23.

"We did it, Sivert," he shouted, while pointing to the sky.

Echoing this sentiment during the press conference, Lægreid said, "We were five guys on the start line, and one of them was watching from above. This was for Sivert, really."**

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