Brian McKeever's wish has come true: He's about to carve his name in Winter Olympics history.
The 30-year-old Canmore, Alta., resident will be selected to Canada's Olympic cross-country ski team tomorrow, making him the first athlete to compete at both the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Mr. McKeever, who suffers from Stargardt's disease and is legally blind, stamped his double pass to Whistler by winning an able-bodied 50-kilometre Haywood NorAm race last month in Canmore. The race was one of four Olympic trials established by Cross Country Canada.
CCC officials met recently to determine how many athletes had qualified for the Olympics, along with which ones to take. As many as 16 could be named tomorrow at the Canmore Nordic Centre, and they will include World Cup veterans George Grey, Devon Kershaw, Ivan Babikov, Alex Harvey and Olympic medalists Chandra Crawford and Sara Renner.
Mr. McKeever was unavailable for comment last night, but had explained his pursuit of an Olympic berth after dominating the NorAm event.
"It's important for people to know the Paralympics is as high as it gets. It's the Olympic Games for people with physical disabilities," he said, "and I hope people realize through my story [that]the gap is not that big. Just because somebody has a disability doesn't mean they're not training hard or are [not]extremely fit."
Mr. McKeever has won seven Paralympic medals, including two gold and a bronze in 2006 in Turin, Italy. He made history in 2007 when he became the first Canadian to ski in an able-bodied race. That was at the FIS world championships in Sapporo, Japan, where he placed 21st in the 15-km field.
Ironically, while Mr. McKeever competes in the Paralympics with the help of a guide, his brother Robin, he will have no such assistance at the Olympics. When asked in the past what he can see, he replied in Tim Hortons terms, "I can see the doughnut but not the Timbit."
Thus far, there have been five athletes who have competed at both the Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. They include: American runner Marla Runyan (visually impaired); South African swimmer Natalie du Toit (amputee); Polish table tennis player Natalia Partyka (born without a right hand and forearm); Italian archer Paola Fanto (polio); and New Zealand archer Neroli Susan Fairhall (paraplegic).
Mr. McKeever was diagnosed with Stargardt's when he was 18. The disease is a form of macular degeneration that affects the central vision.
His father and grandfather both had the disorder and both were exceedingly active. That helped Mr. McKeever shoot high, push hard and set a dream of one day competing at an Olympics.
That day now comes next month.