Brian McKeever is legally blind, but he knew exactly where he was going when he set out on a 20-kilometre race with his brother, Robin, as a guide. His sights were set on finishing first. And less than one hour later, after setting a gruelling pace through the dark, foggy hills at the Whistler Paralympic Park that left their competitors trailing well behind, they, together, claimed the first gold medal for Canada at the 2010 Games.

McKeever is a Canadian cross-country skier and biathlete. He began skiing at the age of three and started competing at thirteen. At 19 he began losing his vision due to Stargardt's disease.

At the 2002 and 2006 Winter Paralympics he competed in both cross-country skiing and biathlon. He won two gold medals and a silver in cross-country the first year and bronze medal for biathlon plus two gold medals and a silver for cross-country skiing in the later year.

In 2010, he became the first Canadian athlete to be named to both Paralympic and Olympic teams.   He was going to compete in the men's 50km cross-country race, however Canada's coach decided to replace him with a skier who did well at an earlier event at the 2010 games and thus he did not become the first athlete in the world to compete in the Winter Paralympics and Winter Olympics in the same year.

McKeever, came into the Paralympics anxious to put that disappointment behind them. The objective was to win three golds.

Mission accomplished.

"That was the goal coming in," McKeever said. "It was not one we wanted to put out to people. You can never predict what the other competitors would do. We had to put down our best races to do it. We tried to play to our strengths."

With his brother Robin (who acts as his guide), Brian won the 20-kilometre freestyle and the 10 kilometre classic races