In what might go down as one of the most jaw dropping moments in Winter Olympics history, a Norwegian Olympic medal winner didn’t just celebrate a bronze medal. He also went on live television and confessed to cheating on his girlfriend, calling it “the biggest mistake of my life”.
Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, 28, had just earned bronze in the men’s 20km individual biathlon, one of the toughest events in the Games. The sport is brutal, combining intense cross-country skiing with high pressure shooting that demands total focus and steady nerves.
Most athletes would be soaking in the moment, smiling for cameras, and enjoying the biggest achievement of their career.
But Laegreid did something no one saw coming.
Right after stepping off the podium, he sat down for a live interview with Norwegian state broadcaster NRK and took the conversation in a completely different direction. Instead of talking about his race, his training, or the medal, he turned the spotlight on his personal life.
“There’s someone I wanted to share this with who might not be watching today,” Laegreid began, visibly emotional.
He told viewers that he met “the love of my life” six months ago and described her as “the most beautiful and kindest person in the world”.
That alone sounded like a heartfelt Olympic moment. But then he dropped a confession that instantly stunned the audience.
“Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” he told the audience, before revealing he had only recently confessed the truth to her.
He admitted that coming clean had completely wrecked him emotionally, saying the past week had been “the worst week of my life”.
And even with an Olympic medal around his neck, he made it clear that the drama in his personal life outweighed any sports victory.
“I had a gold medal in my life … but I only have eyes for her,” the athlete said, suggesting that personal heartbreak had overshadowed even Olympic glory.
The moment quickly turned into international headline material, not because of his impressive performance, but because of the rare and raw nature of what happened on live television. Fans and sports watchers online immediately started debating whether it was an admirable act of honesty or a totally inappropriate overshare during an Olympic broadcast.
Either way, it was the kind of moment that goes far beyond sports.
Despite the shock factor, Laegreid’s bronze medal was no fluke. He finished third behind fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn and France’s Eric Perrot, hitting 19 of his 20 shots in a discipline that demands both endurance and precision.
But even with that impressive stat line, this is one Olympic interview people will remember long after the medals are put away.