Gotcha! Former Olympic sprinter turned TV identity Matt Shirvington stuns his colleagues and viewers with brilliant April Fools prank ahead of the Paris Olympics

In one of the great April Fools’ Day pranks, Sunrise host Matt Shirvington sensationally announced Monday morning that he would be “coming out of retirement” to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Her stunned co-presenters Natalie Barr and Edwina Bartholomew were shocked by the news, only for Shirvington, 45, to finally reveal it was a wrap.

Moments earlier, the television presenter, a former Australian Olympic sprinter who retired from track 15 years ago, tricked his colleagues into believing he was making a “grand comeback”.

‘Before we continue, I have some news. I’ve requested some time off. I wanted to let you know,” Shirvington began, catching the attention of his co-stars.

He went on to say that Craig Pickering and Andrew Murphy, both renowned athletic trainers, contacted him and convinced him to “come out of retirement.”

‘I said yes’. So I’ll be taking some time off for the Paris Olympics. My preparations started a couple of weeks ago.

‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve definitely cut less weight and gotten a little faster.

“From now on, everything will be fire as I prepare for another Olympic Games.”

Co-host Barr seemed completely stunned by the announcement as she subtly glanced at the camera crew for confirmation.

‘This is very exciting. This is very, very exciting,” she said, while trying to take the shocking news in stride.

Shirvington continued the joke for a moment longer and turned to the team to ask, ‘Can you live without me for a couple of weeks?’

As Barr and Bartholomew said they would be happy to defend the fort, Shirvington shouted, “All innocents!”

Barr and Bartholomew could only laugh as the crew began applauding Shirvington’s ruse.

“I couldn’t ride down the track right now, let alone that,” he said, before apologizing to “all the amazing sprinters we have in this country.”

“And to think they would have to ask me to come out of retirement to be part of the team,” he added.

Bartholomew responded with a brutal comment: “I don’t think they’ve been worried for a long time.”