History in the Making

The naming of the Canadian Olympic Cross-Country Ski team took place a few days ago. The roster consists of 15 skiers including a visually impaired skier, Brian McKeever. It has always been one of Brian's goals to be the world's first winter-sport athlete to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. His dream has now officially come true, and the 30 year old from Canmore is ecstatic!

Brian is a decorated Paralympian and is known all over the world as "the guy to beat". McKeever won two golds, a silver and a bronze at the 2006 Paralympics in Torino. And in December, the 30 year old won the 50-kilometre race at the Olympic qualifiers which was a key step towards qualifying for the Vancouver Games.



Brian has an condition of muscular degeneration called Stargardt's disease. His vision is less than 10 percent and all of that is peripheral vision. He has described his vision as "seeing the donut, but not the Timbit." When competing as a Paralympian, Brian is guided by his brother Robin, but in able-bodied competitions, he is on his own.

We are so proud of our Canadian skier, this is a huge accomplishment and will go down in history. We wish Brian the best of luck in both the Olympic Games and the Olympic Games!