Who is he?
Aidan Kirkham is an Ottawa native, a PhD candidate and a nordic skier who has competed in the 2024 FIS World Cup and the FISU World University Games in 2019 and 2023.
What’s his background?
Kirkham is a second-year uOttawa PhD candidate in epidemiology, and captain of the uOttawa Men’s nordic ski team — a title he’s held since starting his master’s degree in 2021. He got his start in skiing at the local Kanata nordic ski club, where he initially had no intentions of racing.
“Parents, coaches and perhaps peers encouraged me,” he said. “Eventually I grew into it and started to like racing more and more.”
Kirkham developed his passion for racing at another local club, Nakkertok. He continued skiing during post-secondary studies at Carleton University where he did his undergraduate degree, before moving to uOttawa for graduate work and more skiing. His PhD research is focused on improving the prescription of guideline-recommended cardio-vascular medications for people with peripheral artery disease.
What he’s known for?
Kirkham competed in the FIS Cross-Country World Cup last February, a goal he “never thought” he’d achieve and one of his proudest accomplishments. He was the fifth Canadian to cross the finish line of the men’s mass-start 15 km race, and finished top-50 overall against top athletes from around the world. In the 30-km race, Kirkham finished 20th at the FISU World University Games in 2019 and 16th in 2023. Kirkham also won two gold medals in individual events at the OUA championships in 2023 and was awarded uOttawa men’s nordic skiing athlete of the year in 2023 for his performance.
What do people say about him?
Kirkham is well-known on the Ottawa nordic ski scene and in academia. Martin Cleary of Ottawa Sports Pages says, “Aidan Kirkham is a true student-athlete, studying and competing at the highest possible levels.”
Ashley Burrill, uOttawa’s annual giving and alumni relations officer, also congratulated Kirkham in a Linkedin post after Kirkham received the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for his epidemiology research. Kirkham was one of 116 recipients and the only recipient from uOttawa.
“The work our student-athletes do beyond their sport should be celebrated just as much as their successes in their sport,” she said.
What’s something people don’t know about him?
Kirkham also loves to give back to the local ski community. He volunteers as an assistant coach at Kanata Nordic Ski, the club where he got his start.
“Hopefully … I give these young athletes the opportunity … to see that if they work hard, they can achieve their goals” he said in an interview.
