Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid on Tuesday said he had been unfaithful to his partner in a television interview shortly after winning Olympic bronze. Lægreid finished third in the 20-kilometre individual event in Anterselva, behind Norwegian teammate Johan-Olav Botn and France's Eric Perrot.
Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Lægreid on Tuesday said he had been unfaithful to his partner in a television interview shortly after winning Olympic bronze.
Lægreid finished third in the 20-kilometre individual event in Anterselva, behind Norwegian teammate Johan-Olav Botn and France's Eric Perrot.
"It's my first Olympic individual medal and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me along the way," Laegreid said - before the interview took an unexpected turn.
"Three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life," Lægreid said through tears in the interview with public broadcaster NRK.
The athlete said he had cheated on his partner, whom he met six months ago. "I told her about that a week ago. This has been the worst week of my life."
Lægreid described the woman he betrayed as "the love of my life" and "the most beautiful, nicest person in the world."
The 28-year-old said he decided to speak openly in the hope of repairing the relationship with his former partner, although the two are currently separated. He said he was not ready to give up, was accepting the consequences of his actions and deeply regretted what he had done.
"I had a gold medal in my life, and there are probably many who look at me with different eyes, but I only have eyes for her," he said.
Lægreid said the situation had made training and preparation difficult, but that he still managed a strong performance in his first individual race at the Milano/Cortina Winter Olympics.
Category: General Sports
