Biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross‑country skiing and precision rifle shooting. Athletes ski a set distance broken into loops and stop at shooting ranges to fire five rounds per shooting stage (prone and standing). Missed targets incur penalties that vary by event: most races require a 150‑meter penalty loop per miss (adds skiing distance), while the Individual race adds a fixed time penalty (usually one minute) per miss; relay events also use penalty loops or extra rounds according to format.
Deedra Irwin is entered in multiple individual and team biathlon events at the 2026 Winter Olympics; official athlete pages list her as competing for Team USA in the biathlon program (events include sprint, pursuit, individual, mass start and relays depending on team selection and race qualification).
This is the 2026 Winter Olympics, officially Milano Cortina 2026 (host cities: Milan and Cortina dAmpezzo, Italy). Biathlon competitions at Milano Cortina 2026 are scheduled to take place in Anterselva/Antholz (the biathlon venue) during the Games (Milan‑Cortina dates: Feb 6–22, 2026; biathlon event schedule is within that window—specific race dates are published by the Olympic program).
No. The United States has never won an Olympic medal in biathlon; the best U.S. Olympic finish is Deedra Irwins seventh place in the women's 15 km Individual at Beijing 2022, which is the countrys highest individual Olympic placing in the sport.
Irwin is a Staff Sergeant (SSG) assigned to the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP); her Army Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) is 42A, Human Resources Specialist.
The Army supports soldier‑athletes primarily through the Army World Class Athlete Program (WCAP) and National Guard pathways: WCAP allows qualified Soldiers to train full‑time while remaining on military duty, postponing or adjusting regular assignments and deployments to allow international competition preparation; the National Guard also provides support via state units and competitive teams. Specific administrative and duty accommodations are managed case‑by‑case by WCAP and the Soldiers unit.
Key steps: Irwin grew up in Pulaski, Wisconsin and began skiing in high school; she skied collegiately at Michigan Technological University and competed in U‑23 cross‑country Worlds (2015). In 2017 she attended a U.S. Biathlon talent‑ID camp and transitioned from Nordic skiing to biathlon, started international racing and joined the Vermont National Guard in 2019; she entered the Army World Class Athlete Program and qualified for her first Olympics in 2022, continuing on the World Cup circuit into the 2025/26 season.