On Tuesday, Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid won the bronze medal at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Just after his position on the medal podium was secured, Sturla spoke on-camera to a Norwegian media outlet. He burst into tears and confessed that he was having the worst week of his life because his girlfriend dumped him… after he confessed to cheating on her three months beforehand. His cheating confession has become one of the stories of the Winter Olympics (an Olympic games which has already been super-dramatic, honestly). Immediately following his public cheating confession, Sturla doubled-down in the press conference. Not even 24 hours later, his ex released a statement, basically saying that she did not appreciate this bullsh-t and she wants to remain anonymous. She also said that she was in touch with Sturla and she told him the same thing, that he needs to cool it. So now he’s issuing a public apology to the ex-girlfriend and his Norwegian teammates.
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid has apologized to both his teammate and his ex-girlfriend after his viral cheating confession thrust her into an unwanted spotlight and overshadowed his teammates’ gold medal finish at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Lægreid, 28, won a bronze medal in the men’s 20km biathlon on Feb. 10, and his teammate Johan-Olva Botn took home gold. In a live TV interview after the event, Lægreid tearfully admitted that he’d cheated on his girlfriend of six months, whom he called “the love of my life.”
In a statement from the Norwegian team shared with PEOPLE on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Lægreid said that he “deeply regret[s]” bringing up a personal story “on what was a festive day for Norwegian biathlon.”
“I am not quite myself today, and I am not thinking clearly. My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after the gold,” his statement read. “It also goes to my ex-girlfriend, who involuntarily ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well.”
The athlete went on to say that while he “cannot change” the situation, he “will now put this behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this.”
Lægreid shocked the world in a TV interview with NRK that he admitted that he was struggling to enjoy his bronze medal because his former girlfriend was not there. He said being unfaithful to her three months into their six-month relationship was “the biggest mistake 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,” he said. “I try to be a good role model, and I did something stupid. You have to admit when you do something you can’t stand for and hurt someone you love so much.”
At a press conference shortly after, he told reporters that he wasn’t sure if making such a public declaration was the right choice or not, but he hoped there was “a chance that she will see what she really means to me” and he could win her back. In an interview with the Norwegian outlet VG, though, the ex-girlfriend said Lægreid’s actions were “hard to forgive, even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world.”
“I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have had contact and he is aware of my opinions on this,” said the woman, who asked to remain anonymous. “[I am grateful] to my family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time. Also to everyone else who has thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am.”
I have no idea how Norway’s Olympic Committee operates, but I would imagine there was a lot of consternation by their national committee that Sturla’s cheating confession had become such a major Olympic storyline which overshadowed all of Norway’s other Olympians. I mean, even the American media was covering it as a major storyline of the Olympics and NBC Nightly News did a big segment on it last night as well. What I’m saying is that Sturla was probably taken to the proverbial woodshed by his national committee. Of course, maybe he’s just come to his senses because his ex-girlfriend finally got in touch (which is what he wanted in the first place) and she told him that his big, weepy gambit didn’t work.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
What a tool. He only thinks of himself and only has himself to blame. She was right to kick him the curb.
That’s incredibly manipulative and selfish of him. I hope his ex sees through his performative garbage and stays very very far away from him.
They were only together 3 months before he cheated. Then he love bombed her publicly while stealing spotlight from his teammates who performed better than him. What a narcissist! Despite her consternation over how this all went down, she must be so grateful she got out with so little time invested.
Talk about not knowing the right time and place. What a drama queen. Norway is so messy and scandalous. Who’d have known.
Poor Botn and team just wanted to celebrate and remember Sivert Bakken, their teammate who died in December. Botn apparently found him in his hotel room when Bakken didn’t show for training.
Someone brought up the meme – “Sir, this is a Wendy’s” that press conference wasn’t the time and place to bring his mess up and make it all about him.
What a narcissistic and manipulative tool.