HIGH ACHIEVERS: Surprised Aidan Kirkham experiences first World Cup nordic ski races

By Martin Cleary

Aidan Kirkham is a true student-athlete, studying and competing at the highest possible levels.

The first-year PhD student in epidemiology at the University of Ottawa and the Gee-Gees men’s nordic ski team captain took a giant stride in his athletic career last weekend, which matched the progressive step he made earlier this year in his academic pursuit.

Kirkham, a 25-year-old from Kanata, achieved a goal he never thought was attainable, when he represented Canada in his first two World Cup distance cross-country ski races at Canmore, AB.

A long-time, high-performance skier, the Earl of March Secondary School graduate has geared down his training in the past three seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a broken hand, coaching and a greater focus on his education. He earned his BSc in biology at Carleton University and his master’s degree at the University of Ottawa.

While he has devoted more time to education than skiing, he has not lost his competitive spirit for the sport. At the Nordiq Canada ski trials in December at Mont Ste. Anne, PQ., which is a favourite course for him, he did well enough to be named to the 10-man national team for Canada’s only World Cup stop this season. He did get a little assistance for making the team as there were a number of potential men’s skiers assigned to the world U23 and junior championships in Planica, Slovenia.

Kirkham never expected to challenge the mighty Norwegians, Swedes or Finns for the top positions, but he was happy with his two results as he placed higher than his seeded start numbers. Just being in the presence of the best in the world and racing the same challenging courses had a special feeling of victory for him.

In the men’s mass-start 15-kilometre skate race on Friday, he finished as the fifth Canadian and was 50th overall in 40 minutes, 9.1 seconds. His time left him 4:02.6 behind Simen Krueger of Norway. The gruelling 20-kilometre mass-start classic race on Sunday saw Kirkham place 55th in 59:10.0, which left him 6:59.3 behind winner Paal Golberg of Norway as the top five skiers were separated by a mere 0.7 seconds.

“The expectations I had were not to win, not that kind of pressure,” Kirkham explained. “There was uncertainty. I was on the start line and it was like in a football game and you’re going up against (former NFL star quarterback) Tom Brady.

“I had never done anything like this before. There was nervousness. These were skiers I had watched on TV. I didn’t know what to expect.”

When Kirkham wasn’t working on his PhD degree, he spent significant time training to keep himself in good physical condition. But he limited himself to only four races this season before his surprise selection to the World Cup squad.

“I was training, but this wasn’t on my radar,” an astonished Kirkham admitted. “I qualified (for the World Cups) and I heard late (one week before). I didn’t have any expectations and I wasn’t training a lot. I was playing with house money and had nothing to lose. I could go all out.

“I have more experience now (as a racer). I’ve raced the mass-start races and I like those races. I know how to build up and stay out of trouble.”

Supported by the cheering of his parents, relatives and numerous Ottawa and area skiers as well as his academic supervisor back home, Kirkham had “quite a good day (Friday) and finished better than my seeding by seven places.”

“I liked the course and I’m good at altitude,” he added. “It was a working course and it suited me.”

Kirkham said Sunday’s 20-kilometre mass-start classic race was “a tough, tough course with a five-minute climb at altitude as well as variable conditions.” But he found the course to his advantage as “an aerobic skier.”

He realized his World Cup debut didn’t come loaded with the type of training he would have had several years ago, but he was happy with his overall effort.

“Ultimately, it was my fitness and willingness to push myself to the limit” that powered him, reflected Kirkham, who will prepare for the OUA nordic championships Feb. 24-25 staged by Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.

The National Capital Region was well represented at the World Cup races as Kirkham was joined by Antoine Cyr of Skinouk, Ry Prior of Chelsea Nordiq and Katherine Stewart-Jones, Anna Stewart, Pierre Grall-Johnson and Katya Semeniuk, all of Nakkertok.

After missing the 2022-23 ski season because of shoulder surgery, Grall-Johnson returned in style. He was the only Canadian to qualify for the top 30 in the men’s sprint race by placing 19th.

In his quarter-final heat, he was sixth in 2:43.22 against two of the best in the world, finishing behind Erik Valnes of Norway and Edvin Anger of Sweden, who finished second and third respectively in the final. He was 30th in the final standings, while Prior was 37th in the qualifying and missed the quarterfinals.

Grall-Johnson’s results at last weekend’s races were his second- and third-best on the World Cup circuit. He has competed in seven World Cup races.

The Canmore World Cup racing schedule finished Tuesday. Cyr and Grall-Johnson qualified for the men’s sprint elimination races by placing 21st and 25th respectively in the qualification race, while Prior was 47th.

Cyr was in first place for most of his quarterfinal, but was caught on the final downhill and placed sixth. Grall-Johnson raced with the leaders in his quarterfinal, but crossed the finish line in sixth. Cyr and Grall-Johnson were 29th and 30th respectively.

On the women’s side, Stewart-Jones and Anna Stewart were 42nd and 50th respectively in the sprint qualification races and were eliminated.

Earlier, Cyr placed 16th in the men’s 20-kilometre mass-start classic race in 52:42.1 and 37th in the 15-kilometre mass-start skate in 38:01.9.

On the road to recovery from a recent illness, Stewart-Jones was 28th in the women’s 20-kilometre mass-start classic, despite a strong opening first half. She finished in 1:01.02.4 and was 3:54.2 behind the winner. Anna Stewart was 34th in 1:03.36.7 and Semeniuk took 38th in 1:06.30.8.

The women’s mass-start 15-kilometre skate saw Stewart finish 44th in 46.39.2 (6:13.2 behind the winner) and Semeniuk was 46th in 50:05. Stewart also was 42nd in the women’s sprint skate qualification.

While Canada’s top nordic skiers were testing their skills at the World Cup meet, the country’s next generation of cross-country athletes were at the world U23 and junior championships in Planica, Slovenia.

Canada’s team, which celebrated gold-medal performances from Quebec City’s Sonjaa Schmidt in the women’s U23 sprint skate final and the 4×5-kilometre U23 mixed team relay, included four Ottawa and area skiers – Luke Allan and Jasmine Lyons of Nakkertok in the U23 class and Clara Hegan of Nakkertok and Tory Audet of Chelsea Nordiq in the junior division.

Allan, a first-year senior, placed 33rd in both the men’s 20-kilometre mass-start skate race (51:35.2) and the 10-kilometre interval-start classic (26:22.9). He finished 31st in the sprint skate qualification and missed the elimination races by one placing and 0.7 seconds to a skier from France.

Lyons was 30th in the women’s 20-kilometre mass-start skate race (51:58.1) and 35th in the 10-kilometre interval-start classic race (30:21.9).

Hegan had a busy schedule with four junior races – 11th in the 4×5-kilometre mixed team relay for Canada (54:55.4), 25th in the women’s 10-kilometre interval-start classic (28:50.8), 38th in the sprint skate qualification, and 40th in the 20-kilometre mass-start skate (59:17.5).

Audet, who also was a member of the 11th-place mixed relay team, finished 15th overall in the women’s sprint skate, having placed third in her quarterfinal and missing a semifinal berth by one spot. She was 18th in qualifying.

The two-day National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association nordic ski championships concluded Tuesday at Nakkertok Nordic with Glebe Collegiate Institute winning all four age-class titles.

The Gryphons placed first in the girls’ junior and senior divisions as well as the boys’ junior and senior classes.

The championships were divided into open and high school divisions to give more skiers at various levels a chance to represent their schools.

The open champions were: Noah Vanderzon, West Carleton, boys’ senior; Bronwyn Parker, Nepean, girls’ senior; Oscar Bereznai, Glebe, boys’ junior; and Ella Semeniuk, St. Pius X, girls’ junior.

The high school champions were: Stephan Rozin, Cairine Wilson, boys’ senior; Anelia Hanley, Ashbury, girls’ senior; Daniel Meisenheimer, West Carleton, boys’ junior; Madeleine Beauregard, Glebe, girls’ junior; Charlie Harding, Cairine Wilson, boys’ novice; and Alexandra Lake, Nepean, girls’ novice.

The Day 1 open champions were: Thomas Storer, Ashbury, boys’ senior; Elsie Hawkes, Nepean, girls’ senior; Oscar Bereznai, Glebe, boys’ junior; and Ella Semeniuk, St. Pius X, girls’ junior.

The Day 2 high school champions were: Stephan Rozin, Cairine Wilson, boys’ senior; Katie Pearson, John McCrae, girls’ senior; Daniel Meisenheimer, West Carleton, boys’ junior; Madeleine Beauregard, Glebe, girls’ junior; Graham Dunn, South Carleton, boys’ novice; and Emily Dempsey, South Carleton, girls’ novice.

The Day 1 junior team champions were West Carleton in boys and Glebe in girls. The senior winners were not available on the event results webpage.