It’s the last dance for one of the greatest Canadian Paralympians of all-time.
Brian McKeever, the 42-year-old from Canmore, Alta., owns a national-record 18 medals at the Winter Paralympics. Fourteen of those are gold, after he won the long-distance event on Monday in China.
Beijing 2022 represents his sixth and final Games. McKeever, a cross-country skier, will race at least three times in China, beginning with the long-distance classical technique event on Sunday at 9:35 p.m. ET. He’s also an option to compete in the mixed-team relay on the final day of action.
McKeever is a B3 athlete, which is the least severe visual impairment category.
“If you stare at the sun for a long time and turn away, you get these fuzzy spots. Well for me, the fuzzy spots don’t go away,” he once said of his sight.
WATCH | McKeever still going for gold:
Brian McKeever is Canada’s most decorated winter Paralympian. The 17-time Paralympic medallist is still on the hunt for golden finishes and medal moments in Beijing. 0:46
Russell Kennedy and Graham Nishikawa share guiding duties for the Canadian legend. It was a role originally held by Brian’s brother Robin McKeever, who stepped back in 2016 and now serves as a coach on the team.
Kennedy, a 30-year-old also from Canmore who competed in the 2018 Olympics in cross-country, said McKeever is enjoying his final Paralympics.
For example, Kennedy said McKeever went out on his skis for 41 hours two years ago to celebrate his 40th birthday.
“Stuff like that, it’s a lot. But I get to see and watch and it’s inspiring at the same time,” he said.
Named to 2010 Olympic team
McKeever has been inspiring people for a while.
Still, the visibility he produced from just being named to the team was a breakthrough for Paralympic athletes in Canada.
“When we started, Robin and I didn’t know this, but Paralympics stands for ‘parallel Games.’ It’s not paraplegic and most people don’t know that, so we also have a bit of a marketing problem,” he told The Canadian Press recently.
“If I can leave something behind, I hope it is that we made Paralympics more visible. We made the movement more visible. We helped to show that there was parity, certainly at the highest levels between Olympics and Paralympics, by qualifying for both Games.”
Legendary dominance
McKeever’s Paralympic dominance is the stuff of legend. He won all three of his individual races at the 2010 Games. He did it again in 2014. And again in 2018.
In 2002 and 2006, he went two-for-three each time in capturing individual gold medals.
He owns a whopping 20 world championship titles. He carried Canada’s flag in the closing ceremony in 2002, and in the opening ceremony 16 years later.
In sports, athletes’ careers are often judged by longevity and peak. Well, 20 years worth of Paralympics plus three Games of perfect individual racing is hard to top. McKeever is the most decorated male cross-country skier in Paralympic history.
WATCH | What you missed on Day 2 of the Paralympics:
Alana Ramsay and Alexis Guimond win super-G standing bronze, while Collin Cameron added another in cross-country long distance sitting. Catch up on what you missed overnight with CBC Sports’ Jacqueline Doorey. 3:07
Beijing 2022, then, could be a coronation — the cherry on top of an outstanding career. But as Kennedy said, the goal remains to win.
“He’s really fit, he’s been up there in World Cups and world championships. So he’s been a top skier in Canada … to stay in front of him is never an easy task,” Kennedy said.
McKeever’s inevitability may be dampened some in China. He competed in just one individual event at his last world championships in 2019, where (of course) he won gold. Canada skipped the most recent worlds due to COVID-19.
But that was three years ago — and three years is a long time for an athlete now on the wrong side of 40.
Then again, betting against McKeever has almost never worked out. And the pandemic-related challenges of the past few years aren’t just unique to the Canadian.
“I think we’re all coming into this and thinking very positive mindset and just enjoying the experience and adventures that we’ve had here,” Kennedy said.
Some more hardware would only add to McKeever’s iconic career.
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