An Olympian with a vision

IF YOU NEED a lift on this mundane Monday, look no further than the inspirational story of Brian McKeever.

On Sunday, the final day of the Vancouver Olympics, McKeever will ski in the 50-kilometer cross country race.

Next month, while the rest of the Olympic athletes are either home polishing their medals or licking their wounds, McKeever will remain in Vancouver to compete in the Paralympics.

As such, the legally blind Canadian will become the first person to compete in both Olympiad.

At age 19, McKeever was diagnosed with Stargardt's Disease, a form of macular degeneration that has left him with less than 10 percent of his vision.

Now 30, McKeever said he can only see fuzzy images in front of him

Brian won seven medals in two previous Paralympics with his brother Robin - who competed in cross country skiing in the 1998 Nagano Games - as his guide.

On Sunday, Brian will be on his own.

"There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish that I saw better," Brian told the Seattle Times. "And yet, it's made me who I am. It's a part of who I am and I like the person I am. If that's the case, then this can't be all bad. But I certainly wouldn't wish it on anybody else."

Despite his impaired vision, Brian has a very clear view of the purpose of the games.

"The Olympics, at its ideal, is about the athletes of the world coming together and competing on fair and level playing fields," he said. "That's a really beautiful thing. It really is about taking part.

"And then, for me, I'm not going to stand up here and say I'm going to win a medal. But one thing I can say is that I certainly am going to go out there in the best shape of my life, and when I hit the finish line I want to be able to say I had the best race I could have had on that particular day."

- Tom Mahon

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