The summer for biathletes is not only a time to train for the new season but also to celebrate big family moments. The summer of 2026 was no different to the previous ones, as we saw many weddings, engagements and pregnancy announcements!

Wedding bells for Irwin and Femsteinevik

"Feeling blessed", Deedra Irwin wrote on Instagram as she announced she and her now-husband, snowboarder Robby Burns, had eloped in April just after the season. In May, another biathlete shared the happy news as Norwegian Ragnhild Femsteinevik not only shared that she had gotten married surrounded by her teammates but also that she is expecting a baby. Huge congratulations!'

New members joining soon

We will be seeing a few fewer biathletes next season at the start gate as both Hanna Oeberg and Anamarija Lampic announced they are expecting a baby. Oeberg and her partner Martin Ponsiluoma shared the happy news via Instagram: "We have something to tell! The next season is bringing some new challenges."

Growing families also among the retirees

A Czech Olympic medallist, Gabriela Soukalova, gave birth to a baby girl in late August. This is her second child with husband Milos Kaderabek. Another former biathlete with a second child is Marte Olsbu Roeiseland. "On the last day of August you came to the world and made our family complete. A very proud older brother decided the little brother shall be called Jonas", Olsbu Roeiseland wrote on Instagram.

Swede Tilda Johansson welcomed her first child, a son called Noah, on the 15th of September. A former biathlete, Emma Lunder and her partner, also a former Canadian biathlete, Christian Gow, will welcome a baby later this fall.

Quentin is a papa!

Quentin Fillon Maillet shared earlier in the spring that a new addition will be joining the family as his wife was expecting their first child. In mid-August, the new dad told us that his daughter, Léana, had been born. Felicitations!

Engagement for Elvira

It has been a summer of celebrations for the Oeberg family as Elvira Oeberg and former biathlete Oscar Brandt got engaged. The Swede shared the happy news on Instagram with a simple post writing "You and I" and got many congratulations from her fellow teammates.

Photos: Caitlin Nordgren, IBU Photopool