Laegreid said that he was, of course, pleased with the medal, but also said that infidelity prevented him from celebrating the medal to the fullest.
"It's big. It's my first Olympic medal. I want to thank everyone who has helped me along the way. The technicians for preparing the skis today, and my whole family, who have supported me. And then there's someone I wanted to share this with, who may not be watching today", Laegreid said, according to TV2.no.
"Six months ago, I met the love of my life and the most beautiful and finest person in the world. And three months ago, I made my biggest mistake and cheated on her", the 28-year-old continued with tears in his eyes.
Laegreid went on to say that he informed the woman about the infidelity a week ago, which has affected him profoundly.
"It's been the worst week of my life. I had a gold medal in my life. There are probably many out there who look at me with different eyes. I only have eyes for her. I don't really know what I want to achieve by saying this, but sport has been secondary in the last few days. So I wish I could share it with her."
Johan-Olav Botn of Norway won gold in the race after storming through the final lap and making no errors in the shooting. Eric Perrot of France finished second, 14.8 seconds behind, and Laegreid finished third.