Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid sparked controversy when, immediately after winning a bronze medal at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics, he revealed a personal affair during a live-broadcast interview.

Laegreid took third in the 20km individual biathlon, earning his first Olympic medal in an individual event. In an interview with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK right after the medal ceremony, he acknowledged having betrayed the girlfriend he was dating, saying, “I made the biggest mistake to my girlfriend three months ago.” He said, “The past week has been the hardest time of my life.” Laegreid said, “I met the love of my life six months ago, and three months ago I broke that trust,” adding, “In life, I already had a gold medal, but I lost it.” He continued, “For the past few days, sport was second. There is someone I most want to share this moment with, but I don’t know if she’s watching.”

In a subsequent interview with the Norwegian daily VG, he said, “I thought there was no solution other than to lay everything bare without hiding anything,” and added, “I hope she still loves me. I felt I had nothing to lose now.”

Laegreid finished third behind teammate Johan-Olav Bot and France’s Eric Perrot at this Games. It is his second Olympic medal, following relay gold at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. At the post-race press conference he said, “I hope I didn’t spoil my teammate’s winning moment,” and, “I don’t know if this was the right choice, but at the very least I didn’t want to regret not trying everything.” He added, “I hope this isn’t talked about for long. Olympic gold medalists are forever, but I hope this is over in a day or two.”

Another Norwegian biathlon star and five-time Olympic champion, Johannes Thingnes Boe, questioned the timing of Laegreid’s confession. Through NRK commentary he said, “It was completely unexpected,” assessing, “The act was wrong, and he seemed sincerely remorseful, but the time, place, and timing were all inappropriate.”

Meanwhile, gold medalist Bot shouted the name of teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who died in December last year, as he crossed the finish line. He expressed his emotions, saying, “I felt like we were skiing together the entire last lap.” Laegreid also said, “There were five on the start line, and one was watching from above,” adding, “This race was for Sivert.”