Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Tuesday (10 February) in Italy, stunned viewers by publicly admitting he had cheated on his girlfriend and pleaded for another chance during post-race interviews.
Speaking to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK after the race, won by compatriot Johan-Olav Botn, with France’s Eric Perrot taking silver, 28-year-old Laegreid became tearful as he revealed he had confessed the infidelity to his partner a week earlier.
“Three months ago I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” he said, “It’s been the worst week of my life.”
He later told Norwegian newspaper VG that he decided to go public because he “couldn’t live his whole life keeping it a secret,” adding, “I have nothing to lose.”
His former girlfriend, who asked to remain anonymous, told VG on Wednesday that forgiveness would not be easy.
“It’s hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world,” she said, adding that she had not chosen to be put in such a position.
Laegreid, without naming her, compared losing the relationship to losing a gold medal. “I had a gold medal in my life… I only have eyes for her,” he said.
The emotional disclosure came weeks after the death of teammate Sivert Guttorm Bakken in December, which Laegreid said had affected him deeply. He later questioned whether the timing of his confession had overshadowed Botn’s victory, calling his actions “maybe really selfish.”
NRK biathlon expert and former teammate Johannes Thingnes Boe said he was shocked.
“The time, place and timing are all wrong,” Boe said, describing Laegreid as visibly repentant but overwhelmed.
Laegreid later reiterated to VG that he was “not ready to give up” and was prepared to face the consequences of his actions.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to expect further strikes on Saturday (7 March). In a post on social media, he said Iran would be '...
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Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport came under attack in heavy airstrikes on early Saturday morning (7 March), Iranian news agencies reported.
Officials in Azerbaijan have said they have stopped terror attacks in Azerbaijan including on an Israeli Embassy, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline and a Synagogue. Tensions between regional and global powers escalate. Military activity, security alerts and travel disruptions continue.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran to expect further strikes on Saturday (7 March). In a post on social media, he said Iran would be 'hit very hard'. His comments came a week into the conflict with Iran, which has spread across the Middle East.
Lebanon's Hezbollah warned Israeli residents to evacuate towns within 5 km (3.11 miles) of the border between the countries in a message posted on its Telegram channel in Hebrew early on Friday.
The Israeli military says it has destroyed an underground bunker beneath Iran’s leadership complex in Tehran that it claims was built for former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
The Azerbaijani State Security Service has said it has stopped Iran committing terror attacks against four targets in the country: Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, the Israeli Embassy in Azerbaijan, a leader of the Mountain Jews religious community and the "Ashkenazi" synagogue.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
A 35-year-old former rapper is on track to become Nepal’s next prime minister. Early counting in the elections on Friday (7 March) showed Balendra Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) was leading in around 100 seats, far ahead of rivals.
Newly released FBI records summarising interviews with an unidentified woman contain allegations that U.S. President Donald Trump attempted to force her to perform a sexual act when she was a teenager, according to documents published by the U.S. Justice Department.
Australia’s move to ban social media access for children under 16 has intensified a global debate, as governments around the world weigh tougher rules amid growing concerns over mental health, safety and screen addiction.
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