PULASKI (NBC 26) — A Pulaski family is gearing up for the trip of a lifetime as their daughter, Olympic biathlete Deedra Irwin, prepares to compete in her second Winter Olympics.
This time, unlike her 2022 Beijing experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, her family will be there to cheer her on in person.
"We are celebrating two Olympics in one Olympics," said Jennifer Irwin, Deedra's mother.
In 2022, Pulaski native Deedra Irwin took the world stage in Beijing, but the COVID-19 pandemic kept her family from attending.
"That's why it didn't feel like much of an Olympics for Deedra," explained Jennifer.
Four years later,Deedra Irwin is back at the Winter Games, and this time her family will be right by her side.
"This Olympics is going to hit different," Jennifer stated. "We're looking forward to that, to just hang out as a family."
Irwin's brother Dan says he's not surprised by her success in biathlon.
"There hasn't ever really been a point when I thought that she wouldn't do it," Dan noted. "There's not a whole lot that holds her back. She's pretty headstrong."
Despite her current success,though, Irwin got a late start to her sport.
"When she first started, she fell a lot," Jennifer remembers.
With each fall, she came back stronger.
"It was a thing that she wanted to accomplish," Jennifer says.
After college, Irwin started skiing professionally, and her family began to realize the magnitude of her potential.
She began biathlon at 25 years old.
"We started to realize, 'Holy cow, she could make it to the Olympics,'" Jennifer said.
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At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Irwin placed seventh in the15-kilometer biathlon race, marking the best result for a U.S. biathlete in American history.
"I'm disappointed that we didn't get a chance to see her seventh-place finish," Jennifer mentioned. "That was really sad."
This year's games, however, will offer the family a second chance at that experience, and regardless of the results, Jennifer says it will be an unforgettable family trip.
"Everyone else sees the 'D,' the athlete competing and stuff like that, but she's our family," Jennifer remarked. "She's our Deedra."
The Winter Games begin February 6, and the Irwin family says they're grateful for all the community support from their Northeast Wisconsin neighbors.
