The biathlon star and the snowboarder started chatting at the opening ceremony. They married on April 1 to see whether people would believe them.

Several sports stars have found each other “at work.” Among them are a biathlete and an American snowboarder with a sense of humor. 

“I have married my amazing husband Robby Burns,” confirms American biathlon star Deedra Irwin on the podcast The heartbeat: US Biathlon.

“We met during the Olympics in Beijing, so we had been together for four years. That is a whole Olympic cycle, and it has been absolutely amazing. So we decided to play an April Fools’ joke on everyone and got married in secret on April 1. It was amazing,” she says.

Found each other on day 1

Irwin says the relationship started innocently. The two began chatting during the opening ceremony, sent each other pictures, and stayed in touch. 

“He is the most supportive and wonderful person I could have by my side,” she says. 

A different build-up

Now they are married and have started a new Olympic cycle. But the build-up to the coming season has been a bit different, both for her and for several of the World Cup stars. 

 “I think many in the biathlon community have seen this summer a bit as a mental break and focused on somewhat different things. Quite a few are probably considering whether to commit to a whole new Olympic cycle. And it is nice to see how many biathletes have decided to start a family this year,” says Irwin.

Also Read: Following Hanna Öberg – another pregnant biathlete

New priorities

For her own part, the focus is now on what remains of the build-up, but she admits that her priorities have shifted a little since she got married. 

“I think most people see the season after an Olympics as a fairly normal season. We enjoy the training, but at the same time we have started to give other things in life a bit higher priority. It has been good for the whole team, but especially for me,” says Irwin. 

The Biathlon World Cup starts in Kontiolahti, Finland, on November 26. The World Championships take place in Otepää, Estonia, from February 7 to 21. 

Read More – Biathlon World Cup: Calendar for the 2026/2027 winter season 

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