Olympic athlete apologizes after shocking confession upstages teammate

ANTERSELVA, ITALY, Feb 11 (Reuters) – Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid apologized to gold medal-winning teammate Johan-Olav Botn after stealing the show in a stunning post-race interview on Tuesday in which he admitted to cheating on his girlfriend.

Laegreid, who won bronze in the men’s individual 20km Olympic race, cried when he told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK that he had been unfaithful and that his girlfriend had ended the relationship when he told her.

Laegreid’s confession sparked a barrage of criticism from some of the biggest names in Norwegian sport.

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“Both the timing and the place and the timing were completely wrong,” biathlon great and Laegreid’s former teammate Johannes Thingnes Boe, who won four gold medals at the Beijing Games, said on NRK’s ​​Olympic broadcast.

Therese Johaug, a four-time Olympic cross-country skiing champion, agrees.

“I’ve never seen an interview like this before. It’s completely, completely, the wrong time and place to do it,” he said on the same show.

Botn dedicated his victory to the Norwegian biathlete Sivert Guttorm Bakken, who died in December.

Former cross-country skier Petter Northug, who was at the center of several alcohol and drug-related controversies during and after his brilliant career, praised Botn on social media before taking aim at Laegreid.

“Johan-Olav Botn, a training product who has worked endless hours to reach the top. Honors his deceased friend Sivert. Strong!” he wrote in X. “The teammate chooses to focus on who he has or hasn’t slept with.”

Laegreid later apologized to Botn at the post-race press conference, but said he stood by his choice.

“I apologize if I ruined your day, but I think you understand,” Laegreid told Botn as the medal winners answered media questions.

“I don’t know. I stand by my choice. It’s a choice I’ve made in life. I understood it very well and I look back on it. As I said, this is Johan’s day and it’s a shame that this has to take center stage.”

Botn said he wasn’t worried about Laegreid stealing the headlines.

“I’m not involved in this. For me, this is first and foremost a personal victory; the space I get (in the media) doesn’t really matter to me,” he said.