Biathlon Controversy: Laegreid's Emotional Confession Sparks Debate
Biathlon Drama: Laegreid's confession overshadows Botn's gold medal win. Sturla Holm Laegreid's emotional apology sparks criticism from fellow athletes.
“I've never seen an interview like this before. It's completely, completely the wrong time and place to do it...”
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid apologized to his teammate Johan-Olav Botn for overshadowing Botn's gold medal win with a stunning post-race interview. In the interview, Laegreid, who took bronze in the men's 20km individual race, broke down in tears and revealed he had cheated on his girlfriend, leading to the end of their relationship.
Laegreid expressed regret for his actions, stating it was the “biggest mistake of my life” and that he had met the “love of my life” six months prior. He hoped his public confession might help him win her back, but his ex-girlfriend has since indicated forgiveness might be difficult. Laegreid has apologized for thrusting his ex-girlfriend into the media spotlight and plans to focus on the Olympics moving forward.
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid's emotional confession about cheating on his girlfriend after winning bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics has sparked criticism from fellow athletes. “Both the time, place and timing were completely wrong,” said Johannes Thingnes Boe, a biathlon great and Laegreid's former teammate, who won four gold medals at the Beijing Games.
Therese Johaug, a four-time Olympic champion in cross-country skiing, shared a similar sentiment, saying, “I've never seen an interview like this before. It's completely, completely the wrong time and place to do it.”
Johan-Olav Botn won gold in the men's 20km biathlon and dedicated his victory to teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who passed away in December. Botn pointed to the sky as he crossed the finish line, shouting “We did it, Sivert!” in a moment of triumph and grief.
Meanwhile, former cross-country skier Petter Northug praised Botn on social media but took a jab at bronze medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid, who had just made a public confession about cheating on his girlfriend. Northug's comments seemed to criticize Laegreid's timing and behavior.
“Johan-Olav Botn, a training product that has put in endless hours to reach the top. Honours his dead friend Sivert. Strong!” he wrote on X. "Teammate chooses to focus on who he has or has not (slept with).”
Sturla Holm Laegreid apologized to his teammate Johan-Olav Botn for overshadowing Botn's gold medal win with his emotional confession about cheating on his girlfriend. Laegreid said, “I apologise if I ruined your day, but I think you understand,” and stood by his decision to publicly share his personal struggle.
''I hope there's a happy ending.''
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 10, 2026
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
Laegreid's confession sparked criticism from fellow athletes, including Johannes Thingnes Boe, who said the timing was “completely wrong.”
“I apologise if I ruined your day, but I think you understand,” Laegreid said to Botn as the medal winners took questions from the media.
“I don't know. I stand by my choice. It is a choice I have made in life. I understood it very well, and I see it myself in retrospect. As I said, this is Johan's day and it's a shame that this should take the focus.”
Johan-Olav Botn downplayed the situation, saying he wasn't bothered by Laegreid's emotional confession stealing the spotlight. “I wasn't thinking about that at all,” Botn said, adding that he was focused on his own achievement and dedicating his win to Sivert Guttorm Bakken.
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