Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid went viral when, moments after winning a bronze medal, he revealed that he recently cheated on the “love of [his] life.”

Olympic medalist’s ex-girlfriend breaks her silence after he confesses to affair in live TV interview

Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid went viral when, moments after winning a bronze medal, he revealed that he recently cheated on the "love of [his] life."

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 11, 2026 11:51 a.m. ET

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Bronze medalist Sturla Holm Lægreidd on day four of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Antholz-Anterselva, Italy. Credit:

Grega Valancic/VOIGT/Getty

The former girlfriend of Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid has responded to his tearful live confession.

On Tuesday, Lægreid, 28, won bronze at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics and marked the occasion with a public love declaration to his ex, whom he admitted he recently cheated on. The unexpected TV interview saw Lægreid wiping away tears as he expressed regret over his affair. One day later, the woman in question is speaking her mind.

In an interview with Norwegian outlet *VG* on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Lægreid’s ex said his infidelity remains "hard to forgive, even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world."

She added, "I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have had contact, and he is aware of my opinions on this."**

Sturla Holm Laegreid from Norway celebrates his bronze medal win at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 10.

Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty

After winning bronze in the men’s 20km biathlon — his first individual Olympic medal — Lægreid publicly admitted to cheating on his girlfriend, whom he identified as the "love of my life." Noting that he confessed his infidelity to her just days before departing for the Winter Games, he stated, "This has been the worst week of my life." Lægreid went on to describe his ex as “the most beautiful and kindest person in the world" and said that being unfaithful to her was "the biggest mistake of my life."

Footage of his confession immediately made the rounds on social media and attracted international media attention.

Lægreid's ex, who requested to remain anonymous, concluded her statement by expressing gratitude to "my family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time."

She additionally thanked those around the world "who [have] thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am."**

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Lægreid won bronze in the Tuesday event, while fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn won gold and France's Éric Perrot took silver. At a press conference shortly after his confession, Lægreid expressed some regret about the timing of his public statement, noting that he did not mean to take attention away from his teammate's victory. On Wednesday, Norway's state broadcaster NRK shared a statement by Laegreid in which he offered apologies to both Botn and his ex-girlfriend.

"I deeply regret bringing up this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon," Laegreid began. "I am not quite myself these days, and I am not thinking clearly. My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after winning gold."**

Sturla Holm Laegreid from Norway on the track at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Feb. 10, 2026.

Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty

He continued, "My apologies also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot change what has happened, but I will now put this behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not be answering any further questions about this."

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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, explained on Tuesday that he was prompted to address the breakup and infidelity publicly in the hopes of reconciliation.

"I hope I didn't ruin Johan's day. Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview," he said during a press conference. "I don't know if it was the right choice or not, but it was the choice I made… Maybe there is 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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