McKeever claims silver at cross-country skiing IPC World Cup

Cross-country skier Brian McKeever and guide Erik Carleton won the silver medal Saturday in the men's visually impaired race at an IPC World Cup event.   

It was the third straight silver medal for McKeever, from Canmore, Alta., and Calgary's Carleton.   

Qualifying for the head-to-head heats in sixth spot, the Canadian duo easily made their way through the opening two rounds to secure a spot in the final. After winning silver in the distance and team relay over the last two days, the pair could not find the next gear in the finals and crossed the line second.   

"We really tried to conserve as much energy as possible today until the finals, but came up short," McKeever said. "We hung back in the first two rounds, but just didn't have enough. We really did as good as we could today."   

Stanislav Choklaev and Maksim Pirogov won gold while fellow Russians Aleksei Toropov and Ilya Cherpanov claimed bronze.   

Saskatoon's Colette Bourgonje narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth in the women's sit-ski sprint. Germany's Andrea Eskau was first across the line to claim the gold, while Norway's Mariann Marthinsen skied to the silver medal and Germany's Anja Wieker was third.