Yukon's Graham Nishikawa set to guide legendary Canadian Paralympic skier in his final individual race

Legendary Canadian Paralympic cross country skier Brian McKeever, who won his 15th career gold medal on Wednesday, will ski his last individual career race at the Paralympics in Beijing this Friday night.

And one of his long-time guides, Yukon's Graham Nishikawa, will be with him every step of the way.

Nishikawa said he's been preparing for McKeever's final career race – the men's visually impaired middle distance 12.5-kilometre race – like he has for all the other races he's been in over the past 20 years, and not overcomplicating it.

"We're just totally focused on the process," he said. "So finding the fastest skis, making sure we are rested and hydrated, and execute the race plan with Brian to the best of our abilities." 

Nishikawa first guided McKeever, 42, during the 2014 Sochi Paralympics games. Over the last eight years, as the two competed in different races around the world, Nishikawa said the two have become very good friends.

"We're kind of on the same page about a lot of things. And we know each other and our feeling and our technique and the pace we can go," he said.

Moving to coaching

This final race will be McKeever's third during the Beijing Paralympics. He won gold in his first two races, in which he was guided by Russell Kennedy. Overall, McKeever has won 19 Paralympic medals over the last six games, beginning with Salt Lake City in 2002.

And while Nishikawa said he's completely focused on McKeever's race, it will be his last race as a guide too.

This year, he has taken over as a coach for the next generation national team for para-nordic skiing.

"I'm definitely done guiding, but I'm still here in Paralympic sport that I'm very fond of, so I'll transfer my skills as a racer into coaching," he said.

McKeever and Nishikawa's last individual race will be streamed on CBC's Paralympic digital site Friday night at 7 p.m. YT.