Name: Aaron Pike
Sport: Nordic Skiing
Discipline(s): Cross Country Skiing, Biathlon, Track and Field
Event(s): Individual Biathlon, Sprint Biathlon, Marathon, Middle-Distance Biathlon, Sprint Cross-Country, Middle-Distance Cross-Country
Classification: Nordic (LW11.5, Sitting); Track & Field (T54)
Height: 6-3
DOB: 5/4/1986
Birthplace: Park Rapids, Minn.
Hometown: Park Rapids, Minn.
High School: Ramstein American High School (Kaiserslautern, Germany) ‘04
College: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign '11, Sociology
Team/Club: University of Illinois Wheelchair Racing
Paralympic Experience
  • Six-time Paralympian (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022)
  • Paralympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, 8th (sprint biathlon), 9th (individual biathlon), 10th (sprint cross-country), 12th (middle-distance cross-country), 15th (middle-distance biathlon)
  • Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, 6th (marathon); No Result (800-meter, 1,500-meter, 5,000-meter)
  • Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018, 6th (15-kilometer biathlon), 7th (12.5K biathlon)
  • Paralympic Games Rio 2016, 10th (marathon)
  • Paralympic Winter Games Sochi 2014, 12th (long-distance cross-country), 14th (cross-country sprint, middle-distance cross-country),19th (individual biathlon, sprint)
  • Paralympic Games London 2012, 16th (marathon)
World Championship Experience
  • Most recent: 2023 - Nordic skiing - Gold (long distance biathlon, mixed cross-country relay); Silver (biathlon sprint, middle distance biathlon)
  • Years of participation: Nordic – 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023; Track & Field – 2011, 2015, 2019
  • Medals: 6 (2 gold, 3 silver, 1 bronze)
  • Gold: Nordic - 2023 (long distance biathlon, mixed cross-country relay)
  • Silver: Nordic - 2023 (biathlon sprint, middle distance biathlon); 2021 (individual biathlon)
  • Bronze: Nordic – 2019 (biathlon sprint)
Personal: After sustaining a T-11 spinal cord injury due to a hunting accident at age 13, Pike quickly began to learn about the world of adaptive sports...His Paralympic career did not begin in Nordic skiing, but in wheelchair track & field at the University of Illinois-Champaign...Pike raced with the Fighting Illini alongside Paralympic phenomenon Tatyana McFadden...He made the switch to winter sports after the London Games, when he was invited to a training camp by one of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team coaches...He was nominated to the U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing National Team in May 2013, and in his debut season he earned three top-15 finishes in world cup competition...Pike followed his opening season by landing a spot on the U.S. Paralympic Team in Sochi and competing at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016 on the track...Son of Chris and Tiffany Pike...Has one younger brother, Corey...Lived in four different places growing up, South Dakota, Idaho, Virginia and Germany...Played wheelchair basketball all four years of college...Enjoys camping, fishing and spending time with his family, whom he cites as his biggest source of strength.