Speaking with FasterSkier from Torsby, Sweden, Graham Ritchie is together with three teammates from the Canadian National Development Team completing a three-week long training camp in the Torsby Ski Tunnels – an experience he describes as “unique.” Working with his coach, this camp will provide Ritchie with some valuable hours on snow after an injury that caused him to sit out last season entirely.
A 25-year-old Canadian nordic skier, Ritchie made a late debut into the nordic ski world, entering the sport toward the end of high school. With a background in competitive hockey, Ritchie credits the lateral movements of skate skiing to skills he developed as a goalie. Ritchie explained “I probably didn’t have the same endurance as you would need for XC skiing, but I would say a lot of the lateral movements in skate skiing for sure can be comparable to hockey.” It wasn’t until Grade 12 that Ritchie began to prioritize skiing over hockey, knowing nothing about World Cup skiing or international opportunities and instead pursuing it for the joy he found in the sport.
Ritchie has always had a solid foundation in the sport from his participation in the Canadian Jackrabbit Program growing up. His introduction to racing wasn’t until much later when he was encouraged to try a competition by some friends who were on the team. “I just had a couple buddies who cross country skied in high school and they kinda got me into it. They were saying I should come out to some practices and maybe try some provincial races, and I did, and got hooked on it and switched from hockey to skiing,” Ritchie explained. Around this time, he moved from Southern Ontario to Thunder Bay to train with the National Team Development Centre, and his career “just kept going from there.”
After High School, Ritchie decided to take a gap year and commit to training full time as a cross country skier – a decision fueled by passion for the sport with little expectation for what the year would entail. From there, he was hooked on the progression, seeing success build with full time training and dedication to the sport. “It wasn’t a rapid progression at first,” he shared, “but once I dedicated all my time to it, things picked up quickly, and it showed in the results.”
With only three years of dedicated training, Ritchie qualified for the Canadian national team. Four years later, he has achieved several top-10 finishes in international competitions, including a 5th place in the team sprint at the 2022 Olympics and a 4th place in the team sprint at the 2023 World Championships. His excitement radiated through the phone when asked about career highlights, and he responded quickly, “for sure I would say was going to the Olympics.”
“At the Olympics in the team sprint, Antoine Cyr and I ended up finishing 5th place in the final. And that was so far the biggest highlight of the career to date and then to just have a really good race come together at the Olympics was really cool and it gave us a lot of motivation for the future.”
The Canadian national team, including Ritchie, has seen a lot of success in team events. Following their 5th place result in the Beijing Olympics (see this cbc article and FasterSkier post), a historic result for Canada, Ritchie and Cyr skied to 4th place the next season at the 2023 World Championships (see this FasterSkier Article). “Almost equally of a career highlight, just to see the progression we had made, which really opened our eyes training for the 2026 Olympics team sprint,” Ritchie shared.
With a goal to place on the podium, the team continues to work together and build a strong culture which they believe has contributed to their successes. Reflecting on Canada’s strength in team events, Ritchie remarked, “honestly we’re not really doing anything too much different, we just have a really good team atmosphere and everyone gets along super well. We definitely have a good connection.” Later in the interview, Ritchie acknowledged, again, the camaraderie and relationship the Canadian team has with each other, pushing each other to work harder, as one of the biggest strengths of the team.
“For me personally, I get more nervous for a team event than for an individual start because you’re not just racing for yourself personally, but also for your teammates and you don’t want to let them down. I think most of my teammates all feel the same.”
Ritchie’s career faced a significant setback last season on December 5th in Ostersund, Sweden, when a severe fall led to a dislocated ankle and fractures in both the tibia and fibula. This injury not only ended his season, but also meant there would be a long road to recovery ahead. Now 8-months post surgery, he is still working his way back “slowly and steadily” into training and being careful not to aggravate the injury. This has meant his summer training has been impacted quite a bit, focusing primarily on double pole work to minimize ankle stress and adjusting his hours to allow for proper recovery.
Despite the setback, Ritchie’s enthusiasm for skiing and the outdoors remains strong. “What was even more annoying about the injury was feeling stuck inside all winter,” he explained. To spend time outside doing what he loves, fellow Canadian teammate and Para Nordic Racer Collin Cameron lent Ritchie an old Sit Ski, which, through laughter, Ritchie explained the unexpected difficulty of maneuvering around corners.
Coming back from such a severe injury takes mental strength and positivity, for which Ritchie’s strategy has been to “think in the now, and then not think too far into the future.” Currently, focusing on rehabilitation and recovery as best he can is more important than worrying about the next season or future results. And while he was disappointed to skip out on the season last year, the young skier has a long career ahead of him.
Although forecasting his recovery timeline has been difficult, Ritchie is optimistic that, based on his progress over the past eight months, he will be able to start period 1 of the World Cup this December.
We wrap up the interview with one final question: given his experience making a fairly rapid jump into international racing, what advice does he have for athletes hoping to do the same? “I would say you just have to go for it,” he remarked, “It’s gonna start domestically, and then you’ll climb up into the international scene. You never know what’s going to happen. The Olympics wasn’t on my radar at all when I started the sport. You really never know, you just gotta try.”
Graham Ritchie’s journey highlights his growing potential and resilience as he works his way back from a major injury. As he recovers and trains, be sure to follow his progress and watch for what promises to be an exciting and successful career ahead for the young Canadian.
