Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid made headlines this week for reasons far beyond his athletic performance at the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina.
The 28-year-old athlete secured a bronze medal in the men’s 20km Individual race on Tuesday, but his post-race interview quickly turned into a dramatic public plea for forgiveness.
Lægreid broke down in tears during a live television interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, confessing to cheating on his girlfriend of six months.
The emotional outburst came as a shock to viewers worldwide who tuned in expecting a typical victory celebration.
The athlete revealed that he had met the woman six months prior, describing her as the love of his life and the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. However, three months into their relationship, Lægreid admitted to making what he called his biggest mistake.
According to the biathlete, he had confessed his infidelity to his girlfriend privately just days before competing at the Winter Olympics.
During the televised interview, Lægreid declared his feelings publicly, stating he had a gold medal in his life and only had eyes for her. The athlete appeared visibly distraught as he shared his personal struggles with millions of viewers.
His girlfriend, who has chosen to remain anonymous, responded to his public declaration through Norwegian newspaper VG. Her message made clear that Lægreid’s dramatic gesture had not achieved its intended effect.
She wrote that even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world, forgiveness remained difficult.
The woman emphasized that she did not choose to be placed in this public position and that the situation caused her pain.
The mystery girlfriend confirmed that she and Lægreid had been in contact following his televised confession. She stated that he was aware of her opinions regarding the matter.
In her statement to VG, she expressed gratitude to her family and friends for their support during this difficult time.
She also thanked others who sympathized with her situation despite not knowing her identity.
When VG contacted Lægreid about his girlfriend’s response, he initially declined to comment.
He, however, subsequently released a statement expressing regret for bringing up the personal story on what should have been a celebratory day for Norwegian biathlon.
The athlete admitted he was not himself and was not thinking clearly. His teammate, Johannes Dale-Skjevdal, confirmed to NRK that team members knew about the infidelity situation.
Lægreid revealed to NRK that he made the decision to go public the night before his race, describing it as a kind of revelation. He told the broadcaster he planned to drop this metaphorical nuclear bomb and see what happened.
The biathlete explained his reasoning for the public confession, stating that because his girlfriend already hated him, he hoped the gesture might make her realize the depth of his feelings.
He expressed hope for light at the end of the tunnel for both of them.
At a press conference following the interview, Lægreid said he was happy his girlfriend might not have seen the broadcast yet.
He expressed hope she would see it at the right time and that he would not make the situation worse for her.
WATCH:
The bronze medal marked Lægreid’s first-ever Olympic bronze in the nerve-jangling men’s 20km individual biathlon race at the Antholz-Anterselva Biathlon Arena.
He hit 19 of 20 shots during the competition, finishing 48.3 seconds behind gold medalist Johan-Olav Botn.
Lægreid had faced a challenging season during the World Cup and was dropped from the mixed relay at the Olympics.
Just one day before his bronze medal win, he told NRK he did not have high expectations for himself and considered himself an underdog.
