An Olympic cheating scandal was revealed at theMilan Cortina Olympicson Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with performance-enhancing drugs orcrotch manipulation.
Norway's Sturla Holm Lægreid won a bronze medal in the 20km biathlon and used his post-race interview to reveal that he had cheated on his girlfriend.
Speaking toNorway's NRK, Lægreid saidthat he told his partner last week about his unfaithfulness.
"Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world's most beautiful, sweetest person," Lægreid said through tears. "And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her."
The 28-year-old Lægreid, who won gold at the 2022 Olympics in the 4x7.5km relay and is a seven-time world champion in five different biathlon disciplines, expressed his desire to share this medal moment with his partner. He added that while people may see him differently after his confession, he "only has eyes for her."
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Fellow Norwegian Johan-Olav Botn won gold in the event in his Olympic debut. Lægreid said he felt bad about using the post-race moment to overshadow Botn's accomplishment.
"Now I hope I didn't ruin Johan's day," Lægreid said. "Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I'm not really here, mentally."
At a post-race press conference, Lægreid said he decided to reveal his infidelity on Tuesday in the hopes that there is a chance his partner "will see what she really means to me."
Will Lægreid's global confession lead to a rekindling of their romance? He sure hopes so.
"I hope there's light at the end of the tunnel for both of us," Lægreid told NKO following the medal ceremony. "And that she can still love me."
