If you thought public proposals were bad, Norwegian Olympian Sturla Holm Laegreid would like you to hold his beer. He just invented confessing to infidelity on live television apropos of absolutely nothing. To what end? Well, he seemed to hope that this would be some kind of grand gesture that would convince his ex to take him back.
It’s a doozy, so here is the TL;DR.
Give me the TL;DR.
Immediately after finishing his 20-kilometer biathlon race on February 10 (for which he won the bronze medal), Laegreid told interviewers and the world that he cheated on his girlfriend three months ago, per the Associated Press, and that he is very sorry.
It’s unclear what kind of response the athlete was expecting, but the general consensus so far has been that this was kind of a gross move.
Wait, I need more.
The biathlon is an event combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting, and Laegreid is one of its top athletes. His former girlfriend, however, is not a public figure and remains anonymous. Which means that Laegreid created his own cheating scandal and dragged his ex into the spotlight with him.
What did he say, exactly?
Speaking live to Norwegian broadcaster NRK after his race, Laegreid unexpectedly shifted the conversation from the sport to his love life. “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,” he said, getting choked up. “I told her a week ago, and then it ended, of course. I’m not ready to give up. I hope that committing social suicide maybe shows how much I love her. I’m taking the consequences for what I’ve done. I regret it with all my heart.” He added, “I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to say by saying this now.”
In this same race Laegreid’s teammate, Johan-Olav Botn, took the gold medal, but his win was somewhat overshadowed by Laegreid’s personal life.
Later, Laegreid addressed his confession in a news conference, per the AP. “It was the choice I made. We make different choices during our life, and that’s how we make life,” he said. “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 added, “Now I hope I didn’t ruin Johan’s day. Maybe it was really selfish of me to give that interview. I’m not really here, mentally.”
Has the ex-girlfriend responded?
The following day, February 11, Laegreid’s ex-girlfriend, who remains anonymous, responded in an interview with the Norwegian outlet VG.
“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,” she said. She also extended her thanks “to my family and friends who have embraced me and supported me during this time. Also to everyone else who has thought of me and sympathized, without knowing who I am.”
She also said the infidelity was still hard to forgive.
What has the internet been saying?
Across the internet, Laegreid’s post-medal interview has been described as, “absurd,” “Sir this is a Wendy’s,” “a manipulation tactic,” “gaslighting,” taking focus from his teammate, and in one case, “the perfect premise for a rom-com.”
Why should we care?
Well, as with many rom-com-ready premises, this one is a lot cuter in theory than in reality.
You have to assume Laegreid gave some thought to how his ex was going to feel about having her personal life broadcast to the entire globe, because he thought it might win her back. On the other hand, the fact that this ex has chosen to remain anonymous implies that she has no desire to become a public face, and definitely not a public face of being cheated on.
Public proposals have been criticized for the way they seem to create undue pressure to accept. If that’s true, then this is off the charts. It’s probably important to remind everyone that this type of behavior should be discouraged, just in case any other Olympians—or ordinary people—feel a confession coming on.
Will I still be talking about this in two weeks?
That probably depends on whether or not Sturla Holm Laegreid has anything else to get off his chest.
