- Sunrise co-host Matt Shirvington stunned his colleagues
- Announced that he would retire at age 45
- Declared that he will compete on the track in the Paris Olympics
- Was an epic April Fool’s joke from ‘Shirvo’ – live on television
In one of the great April Fool’s Day pranks, Sunrise presenter Matt Shirvington sensationally announced on Monday morning that he would be ‘retiring’ to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
His stunned co-hosts Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew were blindsided by the news, but Shirvington, 45, ultimately revealed it was a setback.
Moments earlier, the TV presenter, a former Australian Olympic sprinter who retired 15 years ago, had his colleagues believing he was making a “big comeback”.
“Before we go any further, I have a little bit of news. I’ve requested some time off. I just wanted to let you know,” Shirvington began, catching the attention of his co-stars.
He went on to say that he was contacted by Craig Pickering and Andrew Murphy, both well-known athletics coaches, who convinced him to “retire.”
Sunrise anchor Matt Shirvington announced Monday that he is ‘retiring’ to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
The development surprised his TV colleagues, who were the victims of an April Fool’s joke
“I said yes.” So I’m going to take some time off for the Paris Olympics. My preparations started a few weeks ago.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but I definitely slowed down and got a little bit faster.
“From now on, it’s really a bull’s eye as I prepare for another Olympic Games.”
Co-host Barr seemed completely stunned by the announcement as she subtly looked to the camera crew for confirmation.
‘This is very exciting. This is very, very exciting,” she said, trying to take comfort in the shocking news.
Keeping up the joke for a moment longer, Shirvington turned to the crew and asked, “Can you live without me for a few weeks?”
As Barr and Bartholomew said they would like to hold the fort, Shirvington shouted, “April Fool’s Day, everyone!”
Barr and Bartholomew could then only laugh as the crew began to applaud Shirvington’s trick.
“I couldn’t roll around the track at this moment, let alone that,” he said, before apologizing to “all the great sprinters we have in this country.”
“To think they would actually have to ask me to come out of retirement to be part of the team,” he added.
Bartholomew hit back with a cheeky comment, saying, “I don’t think they were worried for long.”