The seven-time world champion completed third within the biathlon – which mixes cross-country snowboarding and rifle capturing – behind champion Johan-Olav Botn, a fellow Norwegian, and Eric Perrot of France.
It’s a second Olympic medal for Laegreid, who received gold within the relay on the 2022 Video games.
Requested about his admission within the information convention later, he added: “After all, now I hope I did not smash Johan’s day.
“I do not know if it was the appropriate alternative or not, but it surely was the selection I made.
“I made the selection to inform the world what I did so perhaps there’s an opportunity she is going to see what she actually means to me – perhaps not, however I do not need to suppose I did not strive all the things to get her again.
“I do not need to steal the present. I hope this is rather like a day-or-two factor. Then you might be an Olympic gold medallist eternally.”
5-time Olympic champion Johannes Thingnes Boe, who’s now a biathlete professional with broadcasters NRK, questioned the timing of Laegreid’s admission.
“It got here as a whole shock. His motion was unsuitable – we noticed a repentant lad standing there. Sadly, the time, place and timing are all unsuitable,” mentioned Boe, a former team-mate of Laegreid.
Botn shouted the title of late team-mate Sivert Guttorm Bakken as he crossed the road to win gold.
Bakken was discovered lifeless on 23 December in a lodge room in northern Italy, about two hours from the place the biathlon was held.
“I used to be racing with him the whole final loop. And, yeah, it was extra like a sense of crossing the end line collectively, and seeing the primary beside my title was actually particular,” an emotional Botn mentioned.
Laegreid added: “We have been 5 guys on the beginning line, and one in every of them was watching from above. This was for Sivert, actually.”