Norwegian biathlete who confessed to cheating on girlfriend wins second bronze medal at Winter Olympics

Strula Holm Laegreid of Norway won a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics on Friday in the men’s sprint biathlon race — three days after making an unexpected confession during a post-race interview.

Laegreid also won bronze in the 20-kilometer individual race on Tuesday, and revealed in a live broadcast that he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend and hoped to win her back. He said he had confessed the infidelity a week before his win and that she broke up with him. 

“I told her a week ago. And it’s been the worst week of my life,” NBC reported Laegreid as saying, citing Norwegian Broadcasting Corp. “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.”

Laegreid said he regretted his behavior “with all (his) heart” and accepted “the consequences of what (he’d) done,” but hoped if he “put it all on the table,” his ex-girlfriend would take him back. Local media reported that his ex-girlfriend, who remains unidentified, was not happy with the display. 

“I did not choose to be in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it,” local media reported her as saying, according to CBS Sports. “We have had contact, and he is aware of my positions on this.”

His tearful confession was criticized by some who said it took the focus away from teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who won the gold medal in that event.

On Wednesday, Laegreid said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team that he deeply regretted “sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon.”

Quentin Fillon Maillet of France won Friday’s sprint race — his second gold of the Milan Cortina Games after the mixed relay — and Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen of Norway took silver.