Norway’s Sturla Holm Laegreid turned a routine post-race interview into a deeply personal moment after winning bronze in the men’s biathlon at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday.

Laegreid finished third in the 20-kilometre individual event, but the result quickly took a back seat when he spoke to media and admitted he had been unfaithful to his girlfriend.

“Six months ago I met the love of my life. The world’s most beautiful, sweetest person. And three months ago I made the biggest mistake of my life and cheated on her,” Laegreid said, struggling to hold back tears.

He said that he had informed his partner about the incident a week earlier adding that his personal life had overshadowed sport in recent days.

“I’m sure many people now see me in a different light, but I only have eyes for her,” he said. “I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to say by saying this now, but sport has taken a back seat in recent days. I wish I could share this with her.”

Despite the achievement, Laegreid appeared distraught after the race, crying and embracing teammates instead of celebrating. At a later news conference, he explained why he chose to make his confession on live television.

“It was the choice I made. We make different choices during our life and that’s how we make life,” he told reporters. “So today I made a choice to tell the world what I did, so maybe, maybe there is a chance she will see what she really means to me. Maybe not.”

He also expressed concern that his remarks may have shifted attention away from Botn’s Olympic triumph.

“Now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s [His teammate who won gold] day,” Laegreid said. “Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I’m not really here, mentally.”

The interview quickly went viral, sparking a wave of reactions on social media. 

Many users criticised Laegreid’s actions, questioning his judgment and timing. One user wrote, “So he cheated on his girlfriend moments after winning his medal…you’d have thought he’d be knackered after skiing all that way… the lads got some stamina.” 

Others commented, “Girl, run.” “I hope she runs far, far away from you,” one wrote. Some pointed towards the pattern, writing, “He cheated three months into a relationship. Mate, stay out of her life you’re only going to do this again if you get back with her,”  while a user wrote, “How are you an Olympic medalist and still a loser .”

The race itself belonged to Laegreid’s teammate Johan-Olav Botn, who shot clean in his Olympic debut to claim gold. France’s Eric Perrot, the overall World Cup leader, took silver after missing one target. Laegreid also missed once and finished 48.3 seconds behind Botn to secure bronze.

The medal marked Laegreid’s first individual Olympic podium finish. He previously won gold as part of Norway’s relay team at the Beijing Olympics.