Norwegian biathlete Sturla Holm Laegreid apologized and admitted he regrets confessing to cheating on his ex-girlfriend after winning a bronze medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics. 

“I deeply regret sharing this personal story on what was a day of celebration for Norwegian biathlon,” Laegreid said in a statement issued by the Norwegian team Wednesday.

Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway reacts after he won bronze, and teammate Ingrid Landmark Tandrevold comforts him after the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.  (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“I am not quite myself these days and not thinking clearly. My apologies go to Johan-Olav (Botn), who deserved all the attention after winning gold. They also go to my ex-girlfriend, who unwillingly ended up in the media spotlight. I hope she is doing well. I cannot undo this, but I will now put it behind me and focus on the Olympics. I will not answer any further questions about this.”

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Laegreid initially became one of the most viral stories of the Milan Cortina Olympics this week when he admitted to his affair after the men’s biathlon Tuesday. He fought back tears as he shared “the biggest mistake” of his life.

“There’s someone I wanted to share it with who might not be watching today. Six months ago, I met the love of my life — the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. Three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her,” Laegreid told NRK in Norway. 

AMERICAN ASHLEY FARQUHARSON CAPTURES RARE OLYMPIC LUGE MEDAL AT WINTER GAMES

Sturla Holm Laegreid of Norway competes in the men’s 20-kilometer individual biathlon race at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Anterselva, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026.  (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

“I told her about it a week ago. It’s been the worst week of my life.”

He was distraught, crying and hugging friends after the race. During a news conference, he explained why he decided to tell the world about his personal situation on the broadcast.

“It was the choice I made. We make different choices during our life, and that’s how we make life,” he told a room full of 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.

“There are probably many who look at me with different eyes, but I only have eyes for her,” he added. “Sport has taken a slightly different place in my life the last few days. Yes, I wish I could share it with her.”

Laegreid’s ex-girlfriend indicated she was not willing to take him back in an anonymous interview with a Norwegian news outlet.

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Bronze medalist Sturla Holm Laegreid  of Norway reacts on the podium of the men’s biathlon 20-kilometer individual event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Anterselva Biathlon Arena in Anterselva Feb. 10, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

“It is hard to forgive. Even after a declaration of love in front of the whole world. I did not choose to end up in this situation, and it hurts to have to be in it. We have been in contact, and he is aware of my views on this,” she told VG.

“(I am grateful) 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.”

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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The mare Treasurethe Moment’s trainer, Matt Laurie, is thinking about a Caulfield excursion to wrap up her preparation leading into her first run back.

Treasurethe Moment lines up in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield a week on Saturday, after trialling at Caulfield Heath on Wednesday in a jump-out.

Damian Lane partnered the mare as she jumped swiftly and commanded the 1000m heat from go to whoa.

Laurie conceded that having to set the pace wasn’t optimal, but Lane reported positively on the effort.

“I was hoping there would be a horse or two in there that would charge along, but unfortunately those ones were scratched,” Laurie said.

“It seemed likely that she would lead and she was quick away, but that’s the sort of horse she is, she gets there but comes off the bit, just touching the bridle.

She doesn’t work too hard, she relaxes beautifully. She was asked to quicken up a bit in the last two furlongs (400m), and she did that well and Damian was happy.”

Next Tuesday’s Caulfield gallops, hosted by the Melbourne Racing Club, precede the Group 1 card of Blue Diamond Stakes, Futurity Stakes and Oakleigh Plate slated for Saturday week.

Laurie is contemplating a return visit with Treasurethe Moment for a final gallop, similar to the setup for her dominant fresh win in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes over the Futurity Stakes track and trip.

“Another trip away for her final gallop wouldn’t hurt and then we’re ready to go,” Laurie said. “She’s done a lot of galloping at Mornington, so one more trip away would be great, but if not, we’ve got a great surface down there anyway. But either way, I’m happy with the prep so far and if she can produce what she did last time, she will be right there.” Fans eager for the Futurity Stakes can find extensive racing betting markets available now.

The post Treasure ticking over for Futurity Stakes return first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Chris Gotterup is a betting man, though one of golf’s next big things isn’t a cash-on-the-line, checking-the-odds kinda guy. No, no. That’s forbidden, after all.  

But he knows a winner when he sees one. 

Take last week, when he was grouped with Scottie Scheffler for rounds one and two of the WM Phoenix Open. After 18 holes, Scheffler was playing most un-Scheffler-like, but Gotterup understood where things stood: The world No. 1’s two-over day was only a hiccup — and money couldn’t leave his wallet fast enough for round two, provided he could do such a thing. 

“Everyone has seen it out here,” Gotterup said. 

“If I could bet on golf, I would have put a lot of money on him to come out and play good on Friday.”

OK, OK, so you probably thought the same, and Scheffler did finish eight strokes better. How about this, then? If you really want to hear about a wager, and if you really want a peek at what’s underneath Gotterup’s Nike golf hat, he can tell you about the time his dad promised him he’d take him to Pebble Beach, the cathedral that is the host of this week’s PGA Tour stop, but only when he’d break par — then, when he was 13 or 14, Gotterup went out and shot a two-under 69 at Rumson Country Club in New Jersey. (“I have the scorecard somewhere in my house. … My mom’s like got it framed.”)

And there’s this: 

Know that his Masters trip in a couple of months will be his first — but that is by his own choosing. Gotterup’s been invited to the tournament before. 

And he said simply, thanks, but no thanks. 

He’s a player. And he’d go when he’d play. 

“I haven’t been invited to play, in general,” Gotterup said Wednesday. “But I would go down — one of my sponsors would do a dinner down there every Wednesday before and they would ask if I wanted to go over on Thursday and watch. 

“I don’t know, I feel like it would ruin my — like one, I don’t really like watching other people play unless I’m not playing that week. It’s just my, I don’t know, I’m kind of weird in that sense. Like I wanted it to be, like it’s the most hyped-up tournament in the sport and I don’t want to go over there and be a spectator; I want to play. 

“I had faith in myself that I was going to be able to do it as a player. Now that I’m going to be able to, it will be much more rewarding stepping on the first tee there rather than being a fan.”

He’ll go as a favorite, too. Last year, he won the Genesis Scottish Open. This year, he’s won the Sony Open and the WM Phoenix Open. He’s blended power throughout the bag with touch from up close. Those play well at Augusta National. 

As does confidence in one self.  

“It’s just one of those tournaments where I think — like here is similar in the fact that I could tell you every hole on that course even if I didn’t step foot on it,” Gotterup said. 

“So I’m excited to just kind of be out there and enjoy maybe in one of these off weeks, enjoy, like get the, not the nerves, but like the awe factor of it hopefully away and try to get settled in by the time the tournament comes. 

“Just talking to like at the Bridgestone, stuff that we’ve done, talking to Freddie [Couples] and Tiger [Woods] and Jason [Day] and all these guys like about it, it’s just the only tournament that everyone talks about all the time. I don’t know, it’s just exciting.” 

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France’s Julia ​Simon won the women’s 15-kilometre individual biathlon race at the ​Winter Games on Wednesday, making up for a single miss on the shooting range with a powerful skiing performance on the track ​to add ‌individual gold to a mixed relay victory. ⁠Simon’s compatriot Lou Jeanmonnot took silver, 53.1 seconds behind, with Lora Hristova securing ‌a surprise bronze for Bulgaria. However, it was Simon’s ⁠composure that stood out.

After a season that started slowly, the 29-year-old peaked for the Milan Cortina Olympics, displaying ​nerves of steel to anchor the France team ‌to victory in the mixed relay on Sunday.

Simon was imperious on Wednesday in the individual race, brushing off the single miss and ‌skiing with power and purpose.

Watch more2026 Olympics: Éric Perrot earns silver in 20km individual biathlon

With the top-ranked racers bunched in the middle of the ​pack and the field starting at 30-second intervals, competitors skied five three-kilometre laps, stopping four times at the range and alternating ​between shooting from prone and standing positions.

The winner is ​decided by the lowest overall time, but ​each miss on the range adds a hefty one-minute penalty, making precision a priority.

Jeanmonnot did ​her best to challenge in tough skiing conditions but her second miss proved to be the difference and she could not close the gap on the last lap.

There was huge joy ⁠for Bulgaria as outsider Hristova shot flawlessly to claim their first biathlon medal ⁠since Irina Nikulchina’s ​bronze in the 10 kilometre pursuit at Salt Lake City 2002.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

A commemorative T-shirt on the Olympics online store marking the 1936 Games in Berlin under Adolf Hitler‘s National Socialist, or Nazi, government caught the eye of German media on Wednesday. 

The shirt shows a man wearing a laurel wreath, the quadriga chariot drawn by four horses atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and core details like the dates and location of the Summer Games in the capital.

It’s part of a collection of shirts for each of the modern-era Games, but, nonetheless, references probably the most politically contentious ones.

There are no references to Hitler’s government or its symbols and iconography on the shirt.

Early TV and radio-era games, first Olympic torch relay

The Games had already been awarded to Germany before the Nazis came to power, but hosting both the winter and summer events in 1936 provided Hitler’s regime with a stage to showcase the government and country internationally. 

Technological advancements like television and radio enabled the propaganda-reliant regime to double down on these efforts, with Joseph Goebbels paying particular attention to the event. 

The 1936 Games included the first Olympic torch relay of the modern era, a fact that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) commemorated online in 2020 to considerable public backlash because it used Nazi propaganda footage to recall the event.

Berlin Games took place as repression was starting to scale up

The Nazis tried to put a respectable foot forward for the event, removing antisemitic slogans and graffiti from Berlin’s streets and shop windows, moving those it deemed “undesirables” out of the capital, and toning down the rhetoric in its racist newspaper Der Stürmer.

But, nevertheless, the first signs of the coming Holocaust and of Hitler’s ambitions for wars of conquest were starting to materialize for those watching Germany closely. 

In the run-up to the Berlin Olympics in 1936, Nazi Germany remilitarized the Rhineland area on its western border, which its forces had been ordered to vacate after defeat in World War I. It implemented the “four-year plan” designed to prepare the economy and the military for war.

It stripped Roma and Jews of their voting rights that March, a month after the Winter Games in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The leader of the SS black shirts, Heinrich Himmler, was named the chief of German police a few weeks before the summer’s Berlin Games.

Internationally, Hitler’s government signed its first treaties with future “Axis” allies Japan and Italy in 1936, and provided support to the nationalists under General Francisco Franco in Spain’s civil war.

Only a partial propaganda success for Hitler

The event did not prove satisfactory for Hitler. 

Although Germany led the overall medal tally, the United States dominated some of the highest-profile track-and-field events at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. 

Hitler had wanted to attend and award all German winners with their gold medals, but only the German winners. He was reprimanded by the IOC when he left the stadium to avoid shaking the hand of high jumper Cornelius Johnson as he won the first US gold medal.

The head of the IOC at the time told Hitler he could either congratulate all the gold medalists, or none, so the dictator elected to honor none for the remainder of the Games.

This meant that Hitler never shook the hand of the most successful athlete of the Games, 22-year-old Black US athlete Jesse Owens, who won gold in the 100 meters, 200 meters, the 4×100-meter relay and the long jump. 

Edited by: Sean Sinico

DALLAS (AP) — Dallas Mavericks rookie teenage standout Cooper Flagg will miss their final game before the All-Star break and not play in the NBA’s Rising Stars game on Friday night because of a left midfoot sprain.

The Mavericks announced Wednesday night than an MRI revealed the injury that occurred in their loss at Phoenix a night earlier, when the 19-year-old had 27 points in 36 minutes. They said further updates will be provided as appropriate

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Flagg, the No. 1 overall draft pick last summer, is averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his 49 games with Dallas.

The Mavericks (19-34) have an eight-game losing streak going into Thursday night’s game at the Los Angeles Lakers.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba