A Norwegian Olympic medal winner has gone viral for publicly begging for forgiveness from his ex-girlfriend, whom he’d cheated on.
After Norwegian athlete Sturla Holm Laegreid, 28, won a bronze medal in the men’s 20 km. biathlon at the 2026 Olympics this Tuesday, he sat for an interview in which he made a major confession, according to NBC News.
“Six months ago I met the love of my life — the world’s most beautiful, sweetest person,” he said as he fought back tears. “And three months ago, I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her.”
“I told her a week ago, and it’s been the worst week of my life. I had a gold medal in life, and there’s probably a lot of people out there who look at me differently now, but I only have eyes for her. Sports has taken a bit of a back seat these past couple of days. Yeah, I wish I could share this with her,” he added.
NEW: Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid admits to cheating on his girlfriend after winning a bronze medal at the Winter Olympics.
Sturla Holm Laegreid broke down in tears as he talked about the “worst week” of his life.
“I had a gold medal in my life, and there are… pic.twitter.com/VDB1pNlRue
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 10, 2026
According to Laegreid, his ex-girlfriend broke up with him after he confessed. However, he was hopeful that his public confession might change her mind.
“I’m not ready to give up,” he said. “I hope that committing social suicide [like this] might show her how much I love her. I accept the consequences of what I’ve done. I regret it with all my heart. Maybe I’m dumb as a rock. I’m a member of Mensa, but I still do stupid stuff.”
“I’ve realized that this is the woman of my life, and I can’t live my whole life keeping that from her. My only path to the finish line is to tell her everything and put it all on the table, and hope that she’ll still love me. I’ve done that for her, and now for the entire world. I’ve nothing to lose,” he concluded.
According to the Daily Mail, the ex-girlfriend hasn’t accepted the apology… yet.
“Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world, it’s hard to forgive,” she reportedly wrote to a Norwegian newspaper. “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.”
She added that she also wanted to express gratitude “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.”
Laegreid has since apologized again during a news briefing — this time for bringing up the whole story in the first place.
“I deeply regret that I brought up this personal story on what was a joyous day for Norwegian biathlon,” he said. “I am not quite myself today, and I am not thinking clearly.”
“My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after winning gold. They also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot undo this, but I will now put it behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this,” he added.
”I hope there’s a happy ending.”
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid on his decision to confess on live TV to having cheated on his girlfriend just moments after winning bronze at the Winter Olympics. #Olympics #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/t8xorVSKZa
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 10, 2026
He also explained why he did what he did.
“It was the choice I made. We make different choices during our life, and that’s how we make life,” he said. “So today I made a choice to tell the world what I did, so maybe, maybe there is a chance she will see what she really means to me. Maybe not.”
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.