Canadians Brian McKeever and Natalie Wilkie again triumphed in cross-country skiing at the Paralympic Games in Beijing on Wednesday.
McKeever, a 42-year-old athlete from Canmore, Alta., won his 15th Paralympic gold medal — and the 19th of his illustrious career — in the freestyle sprint for the visually impaired.
“The sprint is our hardest event to win. The older we get, the less pure speed we have left,” McKeever said in a statement.
The sprint event includes a qualifying round before the elimination heats, where athletes with a visual impairment ski in groups of four. The standing and sitting skiers are divided into groups of six. The top three athletes in each heat advance to the final.
“It’s a long day with several races. I always feel that if I manage to qualify for a final, my chances are good because of the years of accumulated training,” mentioned McKeever.
The warm weather and heavy snow put the spotlight on the athlete guides on the 1.2 kilometer course. And McKeever’s, Russell Kennedy, rose to the challenge.
“It can be very tricky, because everyone is a bit off balance in this snow, and I can’t touch another skier, so I have to be very careful how I move through the group and be aware of what is happening. You don’t know how the skis are going to slide until you’re on the track,” explained Kennedy.
The Canadians were therefore able to take advantage of the slow conditions to chase a younger and faster group, en route to a time of 3 minutes and 19.5 seconds.
“It’s very difficult to ski well in these conditions. You see it in any race where there are soggy conditions, McKeever added. I think that’s probably an advantage for us, because we don’t have as much pure speed and power as some younger cross-country skiers, so it becomes a matter of finesse. »
Wilkie, a 21-year-old cross-country skier from Salmon Arm, B.C., earned her second Beijing Paralympic gold and fifth career podium in the standing freestyle sprint.
She crossed the finish line in 4:05.1, three seconds behind Norway’s Vilde Nilsen.
” I am in shock. It’s amazing to win the gold,” said Wilkie, who also won the long distance race earlier this week.
Cross-country skier Collin Cameron of Bracebridge, Ont., earned his second bronze medal of the Beijing Games in the sit sprint. He finished the event in 2:46.3, earning his fifth career medal at the Paralympic Games.
Two curling victories
In wheelchair curling, Canada snapped a three-point streak by beating Great Britain 6-3 and Estonia 9-3.
The first game was briefly interrupted after Britain’s David Melrose fell from his wheelchair in the fourth end. He was evacuated from the icy surface on a stretcher and then taken to hospital with a shoulder injury.
Canada, third by virtue of a 6-3 record, will face Norway in their final preliminary game on Thursday. If he wins, then he will advance to the elimination rounds.
Canada sits third in the medal table after five days at the Paralympic Games with 16 discs, including seven gold. China tops the standings with 31. Ukraine has won 19 so far, including six gold.