The only thing more intense and difficult than winning an Olympic event?
Love.
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid was struggling with both this week while preparing for the biathlon at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
He ended up winning the bronze medal, which was cause for celebration. However, he used his post-medal interview to make a stunning confession that he had cheated on his girlfriend and that he wanted to do whatever he could to win her back.
“I realized that this is the woman in my life, and I can’t live my whole life keeping it a secret from her. My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table, and hope that she can still love me,” Laegreid told Norwegian newspaper VG. “I’ve done that for her, and now for the whole world. I have nothing to lose.”
The biathlete spoke to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK after taking bronze in a race won by his fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn. France’s Eric Perrot came in second.
“There’s someone I wanted to share it with who might not be watching today. Six months ago, I met the love of my life – the most beautiful and kindest person in the world,” he said. “Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her. I told her about it a week ago. It’s been the worst week of my life.”
The tearful 28-year-old then compared his paramore to an Olympic medal.
“I had a gold medal in my life, and there are probably many who look at me with different eyes, but I only have eyes for her,” he said. “Sport has taken a slightly different place (in my life) the last few days. Yes, I wish I could share it with her.”
If there’s one thing we know, it’s that women love to be compared to inanimate objects.
new most bizarre moment of the Olympics just dropped
Norwegian biathlete wins bronze then, unprompted, uses post-race interview to reveal he cheated on his GF, she left him, and he hopes that “committing social suicide might show how much I love her”https://t.co/9yVPRlWW8t pic.twitter.com/XAbFWXhSw5
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) February 10, 2026
“Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. So yeah, I don’t know. I was, I’m a bit, I don’t know … I’m not really here mentally,” he told reporters later.
As news of his confession spread, Laegreid continued to double down on his attempts to win back his girlfriend in an interview with VG.
“I told her a week ago, and then it ended, of course. I’m not ready to give up… I’m taking the consequences for what I’ve done, I regret it with all my heart,” he said. “I want to be a good role model, but I have to admit when I make mistakes. You have to admit when you do something you can’t stand behind, and when you hurt someone you love so much.”
Not everyone was a fan of Laegreid’s timing, even if his comments were heartfelt.
“It came as a complete surprise. His action was wrong – we saw a repentant lad standing there. Unfortunately, the time, place, and timing are all wrong,” Johannes Thingnes Boe, a former teammate of Laegreid, said during NRK’s studio broadcast. “With Sturla, the emotions are all on the outside of his body; he can’t hide them. I think it just burst out. I don’t know if he had planned for it to happen (and) I don’t know how he sees that behaviour in hindsight.”
So now, we wait to see if Laegreid’s public plea wins back the heart of his scorned girlfriend, or if that ship has sailed.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.