A personal apology delivered on one of sport’s biggest stages has sparked headlines at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid publicly admitted to cheating on his partner moments after winning bronze.
The emotional confession, made during a live television interview, has since drawn reactions from his ex-girlfriend, teammates, and fellow athletes.
Sturla Holm Lægreid’s ex girlfriend addresses his confession
Lægreid’s former girlfriend told Norwegian outlet VG that his emotional on-air confession hasn’t exactly fixed what was broken. She said she never asked to be dragged into the spotlight like this and that dealing with it publicly has been painful. According to her, they’ve spoken since, and he’s fully aware of how hurt she is. Still, she admitted it’s “hard to forgive him.”
The 29-year-old biathlete opened up on Tuesday during an interview with NRK after taking bronze in the men’s 20km individual race. Holding back tears, he revealed he met “the love of my life” six months ago but messed things up three months back by cheating, calling it the “biggest mistake” he’s ever made.
He said the past week has been brutal and that he confessed to her about a week ago. Talking about her, he described her as the “most beautiful” and sweetest person in the world, adding that lately, medals and competition have taken a back seat to matters of the heart.
By Wednesday, Lægreid released a public apology. He said he deeply regretted bringing up his personal situation on a day that should have been about celebrating Norwegian biathlon. He admitted he has not been himself lately and has not been “thinking clearly.”
Lægreid apologized to teammate Botn, saying the gold medalist deserved the spotlight, and also to his ex-girlfriend for dragging her into public attention. He added that he would not take more questions and would shift his focus back to the remaining Olympic races.
Lægreid also invited critism from Norwegian biathlon star Johannes Thingnes Boe, who told NRK that the timing and setting were completely inappropriate.
