Legally blind skier poised to be 1st winter Paralympic and Olympic competitor is benched

Blind skier devastated he won’t race for Canada

WHISTLER, British Columbia — A legally blind Canadian cross-country skier says he is devastated he won’t get the chance to become the first winter sports athlete to compete in both the Paralympics and the Olympics.

In a tearful interview with reporters on a rainy Saturday morning, Brian McKeever says: “I’m not happy, and I’m very, very crushed by the decision.”

He says he understands his coach wanting to put faster skiers in the 50-kilometer mass start classic race on Sunday.

The 30-year-old suffers from a degenerative eye condition knows as Stargardt’s disease and received international praise when he was selected for the Canadian team.