Brian McKeever

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Brian McKeever

| image = BrianMcKeever.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = McKeever in 2014

| nickname =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|6|18}}

| birth_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| years_active =

| height =

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| country = Canada

| sport = Cross-country skiing and biathlon

| disability =

| disability_class = B3

| event =

| turnedpro =

| partner = Graham Nishikawa

| former_partner = Robin McKeever
Erik Carleton

| coach = Robin McKeever

| retired =

| worlds =

| paralympics =

| highestranking =

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCount

|Winter Paralympics|16|2|2

|World Championships|19|3|1

|Total|35|5|3

}}

{{MedalCountry|{{CAN}}}}

{{MedalGold|2002 Salt Lake City|5km Classical Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2002 Salt Lake City|10km Freestyle Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2018 Pyeongchang|1.5km Sprint Classical Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalSilver|2002 Salt Lake City|20km Freestyle Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalCompetition|IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2011 Khanty-Mansiysk|1km Sprint Freestyle Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2011 Khanty-Mansiysk|10km Freestyle Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2011 Khanty-Mansiysk|20km Classic Style Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2013 Solleftea|1km Sprint Classic Style Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalGold|2017 Finsterau|20km Classic Style Visually Impaired}}

{{MedalCompetition|IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships}}

}}

Brian McKeever (born June 18, 1979) is a Canadian cross-country skier and biathlete, who became Canada's most decorated Winter Paralympian when he won his 14th medal at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.{{cite news|last1=Hall|first1=Vicki|title=Brian McKeever's 'relentless' drive leads to historic Paralympic gold|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/brian-mckeever-relentless-drive-historic-gold-1.4572082|accessdate=March 12, 2018|publisher=CBC Sports|date=March 12, 2018}} He finished the 2018 Games with a career total of 13 gold medals and 17 medals, making him the most decorated Paralympic cross-country skier ever. McKeever claimed a 16th Paralympic gold medal in the men's para cross-country middle distance vision impaired race at Beijing 2022, drawing him level with the German para-alpine racer Gerd Schönfelder for the most men's Winter Paralympic wins.{{Cite web |title=Beijing 2022: Takeaways from Para Cross-Country Skiing |url=https://www.paralympic.org/feature/beijing-2022-takeaways-para-cross-country-skiing }}

In February 2022 McKeever's life and skiing achievements (with his brother Robin) were celebrated in Toyota's Super Bowl ad "Brothers", part of a global ad campaign titled "Start Your Impossible."

Biography

McKeever began skiing at the age of three and started competing at thirteen. At 19 he began losing his vision due to Stargardt's disease.{{cite web|title=Paralympic Sport Awards|url=https://www.paralympic.org/the-ipc/awards/paralympic-sport|website=International Paralympic Committee|accessdate=5 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003181557/https://www.paralympic.org/the-ipc/awards/paralympic-sport|archive-date=3 October 2018|url-status=live}} At the 2002 and 2006 Winter Paralympics he competed in both cross-country skiing and biathlon. He won two gold medals and a silver in cross-country the first year and bronze medal for biathlon plus two gold medals and a silver for cross-country skiing in the later year.{{cite web|title=Brian McKeever|url=http://paralympic.ca/brian-mckeever|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301010527/http://paralympic.ca/brian-mckeever|url-status=dead|archive-date=1 March 2014|website=Canadian Paralympic Committee|accessdate=5 January 2018}} For his performance at the 2006 Games McKeever was named Best Male at the Paralympic Sport Awards.{{Cite web |url=https://www.paralympic.org/press-release/winners-paralympic-awards-2007-announced |title= Winners of Paralympic Awards 2007 Announced |date=15 October 2007 |website=International Paralympic Committee}}

File:Mckeever medal ceremony.JPG after receiving their gold medals at the 2010 Winter Paralympics.]]

McKeever's older brother, Robin McKeever, competed as his guide in the Paralympics until 2014, when Erik Carleton took over.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9c1ZU-BKTIA Brian McKeever video profile by Paralympic Sport TV]

In 2010, he became the first Canadian athlete to be named to both Paralympic and Olympic teams.{{cite news|last1=Kingston|first1=Gary|title=Blind to limitations; McKeever becomes first winter Paralympian to qualify for Olympic Games|work=Vancouver Sun|date=23 January 2010|page=G3}} At the 2010 Winter Olympics, he was going to compete in the men's 50km cross-country race, however Canada's coach decided to replace him with a skier who did well at an earlier event at the 2010 games and thus he did not become the first athlete in the world to compete in the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics in the same year.{{cite news|last1=Cernetig |first1=Miro|title=Legally blind skier embodies the Olympic ideal; Brian McKeever will be the first disabled athlete to compete in Winter Games and Paralympics|work=Vancouver Sun|date=17 February 2010|page=D6}}Associated Press, [http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1182515&lang=eng_news&cate_img=316.jpg&cate_rss=news_Health "Canada's McKeever to ski at Olympics, Paralympics"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604201752/http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=1182515&lang=eng_news&cate_img=316.jpg&cate_rss=news_Health |date=2011-06-04 }}, Rachel Cohen, 17 February 2010 (accessed 21 February 2010)

At the 2010 Paralympics McKeever won three gold medals for cross-country skiing.

McKeever repeated this triple gold medal performance at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, sweeping the men's visually impaired cross country skiing individual events for the second time.{{cite news|last1=Hicks|first1=Brandon|title=Brian McKeever makes history with more Paralympic gold|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/news/brian-mckeever-makes-history-with-more-paralympic-gold-1.2574676|accessdate=January 25, 2015|publisher=CBC Sports|date=March 16, 2014}}

At the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, McKeever was Canada's flagbearer during the opening ceremonies. His gold medal in the men's 20-kilometre cross-country ski freestyle event was the 14th of his career, to pass Lana Spreeman as Canada's most decorated Winter Paralympian. McKeever won another two individual gold and a team relay bronze, his third triple gold medal sweep, for a career total of 13 gold medals and 17 medals in all, making him also the most decorated Paralympic cross-country skier ever.{{cite news|last1=Heroux|first1=Devin|title=Greatness abounds as Canadians smash country's Paralympic medal record|url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/paralympics-closing-wrap-1.4581555|accessdate=April 4, 2018|publisher=CBC Sports|date=March 18, 2018}}

Prior to the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, McKeever announced that he would retire after the Games. He swept his three individual events for the fourth Paralympics in a row, including the men's visually impaired 20 kilometre classical, 1.5 kilometre sprint, and 12.5 kilometre freestyle—his 16th Paralympic medal and 20th overall.{{Cite web |date=2022-03-11 |title=Golden goodbye: Canada's Brian McKeever victorious in final individual Paralympic race |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/paralympics/winter-sports/para-cross-country-skiing/beijing-paralympics-mckeever-final-individual-race-1.6382472 |access-date=2022-03-11 |website=CBC Sports}}{{Cite news|last=Lloyd|first=Owen|date=7 March 2022|title=McKeever makes it 14 Paralympic gold medals after surging to long-distance cross-country victory|work=InsideTheGames.biz|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1120193/beijing-2022-paralympics-cross-country|access-date=7 March 2022}}

In February 2022 the brothers' achievements were celebrated in Toyota's Super Bowl ad "Brothers" telling their inspirational life story -- a childhood biking the hilly streets of Calgary, learning to ski, being motivated by the hometown 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics to aim for the national ski team, facing Brian's loss of vision as a teenager and ultimately winning 10 Paralympic medals together.{{cite news |last1=Lacques |first1=Gabe |title=Toyota Super Bowl ad shows inspirational journey of decorated Paralympian brothers |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/Ad-Meter/2022/02/09/super-bowl-commercials-2022-toyota-tells-story-mckeever-brothers/6685768001/ |access-date=24 August 2024 |publisher=USA Today |date=8 February 2022}}{{cite web |title=Canadian Paralympian Brothers Star in a New Global Toyota Ad |url=https://media.toyota.ca/en/releases/2022/canadian-paralympian-brothers-star-in-a-new-global-toyota-ad.html |website=Toyota Canada Newsroom |publisher=Toyota Canada |access-date=24 August 2024 |date=8 February 2022}}

Awards and honours

In 2011, McKeever was inducted alongside his brother Robin into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Previous Hall of Fame Inductees|url=https://www.cfpdp.com/previous-hall-of-fame-inductees/|website=Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons |accessdate=5 January 2018}}