GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — Pulaski native Deedra Irwin is back from her second Olympic Games, and while she didn’t return with a medal, she says this experience meant more than she could have imagined.
Irwin competed in biathlon at the Winter Games in Italy, four years after making her Olympic debut in Beijing. This time, however, the difference wasn’t just on the course.
“Having my family there, having my fiance there, being able to hear them in the middle of the race cheering for me and just supporting me was incredible, and that's something that I was really missing out on in Beijing,” Irwin said.
Because she lives and trains in Europe most of the winter, Irwin rarely has loved ones at the finish line. In Italy, that changed.
After cleaning her sprint — hitting all targets in one of the sport’s most mentally demanding races — she could hear one specific section of the crowd.
“When I hit that last target and got to hear them erupt it was the coolest feeling ever,” Irwin said. “I think that's something that you can't really replace, especially at the Olympics.”
She said being able to share the moment face-to-face made it even more meaningful.
“I don't think I'll forget that for a very long time, just being able to to look both my parents in the eyes and hold their hands and be like, we're here. It just, it was unreal.”
Irwin acknowledged she set a high bar for herself after her results in Beijing and did not achieve the outcome she hoped for this time. Still, she said the overall experience stood out.
“Just being able to really experience that with my family made this Olympics above and beyond what I could have imagined,” she said.
Support stretched far beyond Italy.
Irwin said she heard from people across northeast Wisconsin after being named to the team, including messages from Pulaski and videos from local schools wishing her luck.
“The Pulaski community is, they're so proud. It's been so cool to get all that support from them and be, I guess, their local Olympian,” Irwin said.
Away from competition, Irwin said one of the most unique aspects of the Olympics is interacting with athletes from other sports — something many fans don’t realize.
“It was really such a cool feeling to be a part of Team USA,” she said, describing moments where she stood alongside athletes she watched on television. “Realizing that you are also Team USA, you are also an Olympian, you are not an imposter among these people, you are with them.”
She also embraced some lighter moments.
“I got to meet the Quad God and I got to shake hands with Alyssa Liu and Amber Glenn and we talked about the food, you know, it was that kind of stuff,” Irwin said. “It's really such a cool feeling.”
After months overseas, even returning home carried its own emotional weight.
“I haven't slept in my own bed since November of 2025,” Irwin said. “So when I got home at 1 a.m. and walked into my house, I put all my bags down, changed and crawled into my bed. That was amazing.”
Her time at home will be brief.
“I hop on a plane this weekend. I'll be racing in Finland, I believe, next weekend, and then Estonia the weekend after that, and then Oslo, Norway the weekend after that,” Irwin said.
Once her World Cup season concludes, training for the next Winter Olympics begins.
“I'm not done yet,” she said. “I'm excited for hopefully a full another full Olympic cycle to the French Alps in 2030.”
Irwin said she hopes to return to Wisconsin this summer to spend time at home before resuming full training for the next Olympic cycle.
