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What should have been one of the happiest moments of Norway’s Sturla Holm Lægreid‘s life turned into a nightmare on Tuesday at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Lægreid, 28, won the bronze medal in the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon, marking his first individual Olympic medal after taking gold as part of Norway’s relay team in 2022.
Unsurprisingly, he burst into tears on the medal stand. But the tears weren’t for the reason that you would expect.
Så ikke helt denne komme. Tidenes mest absurde medaljeintervju. 🫣 pic.twitter.com/fFwJ1B0vCO
— Daniel Vassbund (@Smoothedan) February 10, 2026
Norwegian Biathlete Admits To Affair In Winter Olympics Post-Race Interview
When speaking with an interviewer for Norwegian broadcaster NRK after the race, Lægreid stated that this week has been “the worst week of my life.”
That alone was surprising to hear. Was there a death in his family? Had he been ill?
No. Instead, Lægreid revealed that he was dealing with the fallout from a recent affair.
“There is something I want to share with someone who may not be watching today,” he said.
“There is something I want to share with someone who may not be watching today,” he said. “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.
“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.”
The interviewer proceeded to ask him how he managed to finish third in the race with everything that he’d been going through in the lead-up.
“I 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,” Lægreid said. “As I said I want to be a good role model, but 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.”
Lægreid, a former world champion, refused to name the person as he said he wanted to protect her privacy.
On one hand, Lægreid never should have cheated to begin with, which he acknowledged. But you have to credit that level of ownership. Here’s hoping both ends of the relationship find peace moving forward.