Olympic biathlete won a medal, then admitted he cheated

Updated Feb. 12, 2026, 8:29 a.m. | By Skyye Ndlovu

He won Olympic bronze… then made a confession no one saw coming.

Winning an Olympic medal is supposed to be one of the happiest moments of your life.

For Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid, it was; but it was also deeply emotional for very different reasons.

Moments after winning bronze in the 20km individual biathlon at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, the 28-year-old made a surprising and very personal confession live on Norwegian television

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What did he say?

Speaking to Norway’s state broadcaster NRK, Laegreid admitted he had cheated on his girlfriend three months ago, calling it “my biggest mistake.”

He revealed that he had told her about the affair recently and described the days since as “the worst week of my life.”

“Six months ago I met the love of my life,” he said. “Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her.”

Laegreid added that while winning an Olympic medal is huge, “I had the gold medal in life.”

He explained that sport had taken a back seat in his mind over the past few days and that there was someone he wished he could share the moment with, though he wasn’t sure if she was watching.

Watch the interview here:

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

Why did he go public?

Later speaking to Norwegian newspaper VG, Laegreid said his only way forward was complete honesty.

“My only way to solve it is to tell everything and put everything on the table, and hope that she can still love me,” he said.

He acknowledged he wants to be a good role model and believes that includes admitting when you’ve made a mistake.

He also made it clear he didn’t want to take attention away from the sporting achievement, including fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn, who won gold, and France’s Eric Perrot, who took silver.

“I don’t want to steal the show,” he said. “Then you are an Olympic gold medallist forever.”

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Laegreid is a seven-time world champion and previously won Olympic gold in the relay at the 2022 Games. But this bronze medal will likely be remembered not just for his performance on the snow but for his honesty off it.

It was a reminder that even elite athletes, standing on the Olympic podium, are still human.

And sometimes, the hardest battles aren’t fought on skis, but in life.