Aaron Pike

Pikester (Twitter profile, 08 Dec 2019)

Shooting 20 for 20 in the 15km individual biathlon at the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. (Athlete, 29 Mar 2018)

His family. (teamusa.org, 19 Feb 2017)

US long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine. (Athlete, 29 Mar 2018)

"There's nothing else I want to do. I haven't lost the energy for it. I still look forward to practice every morning. On Sundays, I don't know what to do with myself." (startribune.com, 19 Jun 2021)

He has represented the United States of America in Para biathlon and Para cross-country skiing, and competed in both sports at the 2014 and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. He has also competed in Para athletics at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games. He played wheelchair basketball at collegiate level in the United States of America. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Dec 2021; fasterskier.com, 23 Nov 2021; startribune.com, 24 Jan 2015)

His partner Oksana Masters has represented the United States of America in Para cycling, Para rowing, Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon. She won bronze in the trunk and arms double sculls rowing event at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She later competed in cycling at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. She also competed in both biathlon and cross-country skiing at the 2014 and 2018 Paralympic Winter Games, winning seven medals across both sports. (people.com, 26 Aug 2021; SportsDeskOnline, 18 Dec 2021; usatoday.com, 22 Jan 2018; nbcolympics.com, 28 Dec 2017)

To win a Paralympic medal. (bbc.co.uk, 01 Mar 2022)

He sustained a spinal cord injury in a hunting accident at age 13. A member of another hunting party fired his shotgun in the direction of a noise he heard, and one of the pellets struck Pike in the back. (startribune.com, 24 Jan 2015)

MULTI-SPORT ATHLETE
He has represented the United States of America in Para cross-country skiing and Para biathlon, for which he is classified as an LW11.5 skier, and in Para athletics in T54 events. He enjoys competing in both summer and winter sports, and believes that his experience in wheelchair racing allows him to transition fairly easily from winter sports to Para athletics. "After my first time trying Nordic skiing I knew that it wasn't going to be my last time. I liked the sport immediately and knew that I wouldn't be able to give it up. So then I decided that I was going to try to balance the two sports. I have been able to come off of the winter season and get into the racing chair and feel strong within four weeks. I would attribute that to the fact that I have been doing wheelchair racing for about 12 years [speaking in 2018]. Without that long history in the racing chair it would not be possible. It takes a long time to learn the stroke for wheelchair racing and become efficient. I would say that if I started both sports around the same time, then it would not have been possible. With this constant flow I enjoy one [sport] and then start missing the other after I've been on the one for a while. I like the back and forth. And they are very compatible, luckily." (IPC, 18 Dec 2021; teamusa.org, 18 Mar 2020; paralympic.org, 11 May 2018)

ATHLETE COUPLE
He is in a relationship with US Para athlete Oksana Masters, who has represented the United States of America in Para Nordic skiing, Para cycling, and Para rowing. "Oksana is incredible. We push each other, she is a force. Just waking up and having that person who is working towards the same goals and understand when you have a bad race, what that really means." (bbc.co.uk, 01 Mar 2022)

OVERSEAS EDUCATION
He attended Ramstein American High School in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. (teamusa.org, 01 Jun 2015)