Canadian paralympian Brian McKeever prepares to ski off into the sunset, ending a golden career

Brian McKeever is doing what he always does at the Paralympic games: winning medals. 

On Wednesday, McKeever won the men's visually impaired spring cross country race at the 2022 Beijing winter Paralympics.

It's his 19th Paralympic medal and also the 15th gold of his career. 

McKeever started competing in the Paralympics in 2002 after being diagnosed with Stargardt's disease, an inherited degenerative condition.

McKeever says the Paralympics have meant a lot to him.

"It's given me a lot more opportunities that I probably would've had through the Olympics dream," the 42-year-old said.

"It allowed me to earn a living being a professional athlete and it got me to the top of the sport."

PARALYMPIC JOURNEY COMING TO AN END

McKeever's Paralympic journey will come to an end after Beijing. 

On Saturday, he'll go for his 12th straight individual race gold medal. 

"I'll probably be excited and probably a little nervous, but that's just racing," McKeever said.

GOLDEN JOURNEY

McKeever will also race in the team relay on Sunday, another chance to add to his medal collection.  

He'll go down in history as arguably the best Paralympian ever, not just because of his medals, but because of the longevity of his career.

McKeever says there's a reason for all of his success.

"Usually, the mind gives up first before the body is finished. In my case, I think I've managed to keep my mind fresh a lot of the times and I'm very proud of that. I think my body is giving up before my head, so that's kind of cool," he said with a laugh.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Even as McKeever skis off into the sunset, he says he won't completely be done with the sport.

"I'm going to fade out slowly," he said.

"I'll probably do some races in the next year or two but then shift to more roles in mentorship … That's the most likely scenario right now."