CONQUERING HEROES
With golden hardware around his neck, Paralympian Brian McKeever and Canadian teammates pose with family and friends for photos at Calgary airport Monday after returning from the Pyeongchang Paralympics with a record number of medals.
They helped bring home more medals than Canada ever has before at the Paralympic Games, and on Monday they were treated to a hero’s welcome.
Led by cross-country skier Brian McKeever, five members of Canada’s Paralympic delegation to Pyeongchang landed in Calgary on Monday evening to cheers by friends, family and fans who had gathered at the international airport.
McKeever, who carried Canada’s flag at the opening ceremony, was greeted by his extended family, whose clothing was adorned with letters spelling, “Go McKeever!”
“Being met at the gate is always a really nice thing,” said McKeever. “Everybody has so much fun there and I always say it’s that Type 2 kind of fun. You’re not really having fun while you’re going through it. It’s stressful. It’s a job and now it’s over that we get to enjoy it, get to reflect on it, to come home and meet with family and share it with them. That’s always a wonderful thing.”
With three gold medals and a bronze in South Korea, McKeever became Canada’s most decorated Winter Paralympian of all time.
With 28 medals in Pyeongchang, Canada’s Paralympians set a record for their best ever haul.
Skier Kurt Oatway, who won gold in the super- G competition, said coming home to cheers helped ease the immediate aftermath of what’s been a whirlwind experience.
“Getting a gold medal is, it might be cliché to say, but it’s everybody ’s dream come true,” he said. “We might be a little bit tired coming back from 24 hours worth of travel time, but it’s uplifting to see all the people that have come out to support you.”
McKeever’s father Bill said he hopes the achievements of the Canadian team will serve as inspiration for aspiring athletes coast to coast.
“The entire team did so well that it’s incentive for anybody with a disability of any kind to look positive and look ahead to where they might be,” he said.
“To me, that’s the exciting part of this.”
As athletes hugged their parents, the father of the 17-time medalwinning Paralympian took some time to reflect on his son’s magical career, starting with his first race at just five years old.
“I’m not sure how proud one can be. (I’m) as proud as is possible,” he said. “Our job, of course, is always to feed the hot chocolate when they don’t win. This time we didn’t need any.”