Brian McKeever of Calgary, Alberta made history on Friday in Canada (Saturday in Beijing) for the most gold medals all-time at the Paralympic Winter Games. McKeever won the gold medal in the men’s 12.5 kilometre cross country skiing race for the visually impaired. It was his 16th gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games, which ties him with alpine skier Gord Schoefelder of Germany.
McKeever posted a time of 33 minutes and six seconds. Zebastian Modin of Sweden won the silver medal with a time of 33 minutes, 59.1 seconds. Dmytro Suiarko of the Ukraine won the bronze medal with a time of 34 minutes, 8.1 seconds. McKeever reached the podium by one minute, 8.9 seconds as Anthony Chalencon of France finished in fourth place with a time of 34 minutes, 15.5 seconds.
McKeever was one of two Canadian cross-country skiers to medal. The other was Natalie Wilkie of Salmon Arm, British Columbia, who won a silver medal in the women’s 10 kilometre cross country skiing standing race. Wilkie, who has one finger on one hand, posted a time of 41 minutes, 45.3 seconds. Oleksandra Kononova of the Ukraine won the gold medal with a time of 41 minutes and 18 seconds, and Iryna Bui of Ukraine won the bronze medal with a time of 41 minutes, 47.1 seconds. Wilkie earned a medal by 10.8 seconds over Liudmyla Liashenko of the Ukraine, who had a fourth place time of 41 minutes, 56.1 seconds.
Canada is currently in third place in the Paralympic Winter Games with 23 medals (eight gold medals, five silver medals, and 10 bronze medals). China leads with 59 medals and Ukraine is second with 28 medals.