Athlete’s Brutal Reaction After Losing Medal Rival Who Made Cheating Admission
A biathlete at the Winter Olympics gave a brutal reaction to losing out on a medal to the man who became the biggest talking point at the Games.
In arguably the most bizarre moment of the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Norwegian Sturla Holm Laegreid hit headlines after confessing to cheating on his girlfriend on live TV after claiming a bronze medal.
He secured a spot on the podium in the men's 20km individual race, with only Eric Perrot of France and compatriot Johan-Olav Botn ahead of him.
Laegreid gave an emotional interview to Norwegian broadcaster NRK where he made the shock cheating admission, calling it "the biggest mistake" and calling the unnamed woman "the most beautiful and kindest person in the world".
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The story has continued to unravel at the event but Laegreid was back in action on Thursday in the men's 10km sprint biathlon.
He bagged himself another bronze medal with a time of 23:09.00, finishing behind compatriot Christiansen Vetle Sjaastad and Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet, who won his seventh Olympic medal.
In fourth was Emilien Jacquelin, who just missed out on a medal to Laegreid having been beaten by two tenths of a second.
Afterwards, he made light of the situation in an interview with VG where he said he "was beaten by an unfaithful guy"
He is also reported to have said, "Oh my God" as he chuckled and claimed he will "crush him on Sunday".
Jacquelin was responded to comments from Laegreid, who made fun of his final lap as he joked that his fellow competitor had been giving out high fives to fans.
Laegreid, answered "no comment" to questions about his infidelity but said he has "tried to shut things out and focus on myself" and was extremely determined to "show what I could do".
What has the cheating Olympian's girlfriend said?
Laegreid has refused to name the woman who he was romantically involved with but hoped that his public bombshell made her "realise how much I love her".
He told also told media he hoped he didn't "make anything worse for her" but was hopeful of a "happy ending".
However, in an anonymous statement to VG, she admitted that she has had contact with Laegreid but is still struggling to forgive him for his actions.
"Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world, it's hard to forgive," she wrote.
"I did not choose to be put in this position, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have had contact and he is aware of my opinions on this."
The woman thanked "family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time" and expressed gratitude to "everyone else who has thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am".
Topics: Olympics
Josh Lawless