If this week’s races are any indication of future Paralympic success, Canada should be a beast of a team in the east.
Chris Klebl (l) with his gold medal from the men’s 10 k sit ski and Brian McKeever (r) with his third gold of the week, which he won in Sunday’s 15 k visually impaired freestyle visually at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. Photo: Matthew Murnaghan, Canadian Paralympic Committee
By Justin Brisbane, Rocky Mountain Outlook February 19, 2015
Already looking ahead to the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, Canmore ParaNordic skiers have travelled to Japan to get accustomed to racing on the other side of the world.
If this week’s races are any indication of future Paralympic success, Canada should be a beast of a team in the east.
Brian McKeever and guide Graham Nishikawa won their second gold of the week in the men’s 20-kilometre visually impaired classic race, while Brittany Hudak, 21, also won her second world cup gold in the 15 km standing race.
McKeever first crushed the competition in the 10 km, winning by more than two minutes over the field. He crushed the competition again in the 20 km race with a time of 1:00:15, five minutes ahead of Norway’s Erik Bye and 25 minutes ahead of bronze medallist Hiroshi Kato.
“The course and ski conditions were very tough today. Changing track conditions and a very long, steep hill could have been a rough mix, but the servicemen gave us perfect skis,” McKeever said. “Graham was awesome today. He was so strong on the climbs and his work really laid the foundation for a good result today.”
Also read
Cross-country World Cup races conclude in Asahikawa
The excellent Para-Nordic blog at fasterskier.com
IPC Nordic Skiing Rankings February 2015, 2 February list
Double Gold for Canada on Last Day of Paralympics: Klebel Gets First Medal, McKeever Notches 10th Win March 16, 2014 by FasterSkier