The regrets keep piling up for one Olympic medalist in Italy.
Sturla Holm Lægreid, a Norwegian biathlete who won a bronze medal on Tuesday, said that he “deeply regrets” his viral outburst in a post-game interview about cheating on his ex-girlfriend, which he admits was not the most tactful decision.
“I am not quite myself today, and I am not thinking clearly,” Lægrid, 28, said in a statement from the Norwegian team, according to People. “My apologies go to Johan-Olav, who deserved all the attention after the gold.”
“It also goes to my ex-girlfriend, who involuntarily ended up in the media spotlight,” he continued. “I hope she is doing well.”
Lægreid added that he “will now put this behind me and focus on the Olympics,” and that he “will not answer any further questions about this.”
After Lægreid won bronze in the men’s 20km individual biathlon at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday, for which his teammate, Johan-Olav Botn, won the gold medal, he used his airtime with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation to confess to what he called “the biggest mistake of my life.”
“I had the gold medal in life, and I am sure there are many people who will see things differently, but I only have eyes for her,” he said of his unnamed ex-girlfriend, whom he had dated for six months.
“I try to be a good role model, and I did something stupid,” he added. “You have to admit when you do something you can’t stand for and hurt someone you love so much.”
Lægreid confessed his infidelity to his girlfriend the week before the Winter Olympics, and said that it haunted him throughout what he called “the worst week of my life.”
His ex-girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Norwegian tabloid VG on Wednesday that it would be “hard to forgive” Lægreid for cheating on her “even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world.”
“I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it,” she continued. “We have had contact, and he is aware of my opinions on this.”
The biathlete told reporters on Monday before his race the next day that he was not confident in his performance, saying, “I won’t hide the fact that I don’t have high expectations for myself.”
The seven-time world champion won his first gold medal as part of Norway’s biathlon relay team during the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
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