June 24, 2016 (Ottawa, ON) – Legendary Paralympians, Brian and Robin McKeever, were recently honoured once again for their stellar careers receiving the prestigious Meritorious Service Medal (MSC civil).
Brian McKeever, 37, who is legally blind, has won gold at four different Olympic Winter Paralympic Games: Salt Lake City in 2002; Torino in 2006; Vancouver in 2010; and Sochi in 2014. McKeever sometimes competes against skiers with full vision and in 2010, he became the first Canadian athlete to be named to both the Olympic and Paralymic teams although he eventually only competed at the Olympic Winter Paralympic Games that year.Robin McKeever, 43, competed as an Olympic skier at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Paralympic Games, he guided Brian to two gold and one silver (see list below) . At the 2006 Games in Torino, he and Brian took two gold, one silver, and a bronze medal in cross-country skiing. He now coaches for Cross Country Canada.
Meritorious Service Decorations (Civil Division) are given to recognize remarkable contributions in many different fields of endeavour, from advocacy initiatives and health care services, to research and humanitarian efforts according to the Governor General’s website.
Brian McKeever’s Paralympic medals (on Wikipedia) include:
Cross-Country Skiing
– Gold medal – 2014 Sochi – 1 km sprint Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2014 Sochi – 10 km Free Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2014 Sochi – 20 km Freestyle Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2010 Vancouver – 1km Sprint Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2010 Vancouver – 10km Classic Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2010 Vancouver – 20km Freestyle Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2006 Torino – 5km Freestyle Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2006 Torino – 10km Classic Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2002 Salt Lake City – 5km Classic Visually Impaired
– Gold medal – 2002 Salt Lake City – 10km Freestyle Visually Impaired
– Silver medal – 2006 Torino – 20km Classic Visually Impaired
– Silver medal – 2002 Salt Lake City – 20km Freestyle Visually Impaired
Biathlon
– Bronze medal – third place – 2006 Torino – 7.5km Visually Impaired Biathlon
Governor General’s explanation of Meritorious Service Medal here.
Brian McKeever Wikipedia entry here.