Julia Simon was destined to be an Olympian. Born in 1996 in Albertville, the city that hosted the 1992 Winter Olympics, she was already skiing as a child in a village that had been completely transformed after the Games. The Alps loomed in the background. And the streets were lined with the five Olympic rings, a reminder of the event. Simon chose biathlon, the cross-country skiing discipline where you carry a rifle on your back and have to stop to fire and demonstrate your marksmanship. It quickly became clear that she had a bright future: she won French championships and World Cup events. Before these Games, she had already been a world champion several times. No one doubted her talent. And, in fact, she has already won two gold medals at these Games. But Simon carries a burden: a few months ago, she was found guilty of theft and digital fraud for using other people's credit cards. In her hometown of Albertville, she appeared before a judge who sentenced her to three months in jail, a sentence she could not serve due to her lack of a criminal record. If the crime was already serious, it was made even more so by the fact that the people she robbed were teammates on the national biathlon team.

Viewers in Norway watching the Olympic Games live on NRK were stunned by what they were seeing. Sturla Holm Laegreid had just won the bronze medal in the 20km biathlon and, when interviewed about his sporting success, launched into an astonishing monologue. "There's someone I wanted to share this with, even though she might not be watching. Six months ago, I met the love of my life: the most beautiful and kindest person in the world. And three months ago, I made my biggest mistake: I cheated on her." The journalist was just as surprised as the viewers.