Brian McKeever hopes for golden goodbye at Beijing 2022

Competing at what is expected to be his last Paralympics, the most decorated male Paralympic Cross-Country skier of all time will hope to bring the curtain down on an incredible career in style at Beijing 2022.

Canada’s Brian McKeever is aiming to add to the 13 golds he has won across five editions of the Winter Paralympics since Salt Lake City 2002. Having recently been featured with former guide and brother Robin in a moving Superbowl ad, McKeever aims to make further history.

The USA’s Jake Adicoff is one of the key players who are ready to take on McKeever’s mantle having just won his first world title. Guided by Sam Wood, Adicoff picked up a medal of each colour at the Lillehammer 2021 World Championships and triumphed in the middle distance classic.

In the women's vision impaired Austria’s four-time world champion Carina Edlinger failed to make it onto the podium at the Worlds, but those results do not tell the whole story. Along with guide Daniel Bauer, Edlinger is still a face to look out for, having achieved a slew of top three finishes this season.

Since winning silver in the women’s sprint classic standing at PyeongChang 2018, Norway’s Vilde Nilsen has secured five titles over two World Championships. Her incredible run of form puts her in pole position for her first Paralympic title at Beijing 2022.

But Ukraine’s Liudmyla Liashenko will not make things easy for the Norwegian.

Liashenko finished on the podium at every single event in Lillehammer, including gold in the long distance freestyle. .

The US duo of Oksana Masters and Kendall Gretsch – both dual sport athletes who competed at the summer Paralympics in Tokyo in 2021 – once again swap the sun for snow.

Masters grabbed gold in the cycling time trial just six months ago and will try to defend two titles in the sprint and middle distance at Beijing 2022. The US sit-skier has already claimed one gold in Para Biathlon - in the sprint - at Beijing 2022.

Gretsch won gold in Para triathlon in the women’s PWTC class and is the reigning long distance cross-country Paralympic champion, as well as the bronze medallist from Saturday's Para biathlon sprint.

Maksym Yarovyi carried the flag for Ukraine at the Opening Ceremony and returns as the defending champion in the men's long distance sitting.

Also lookout for Brazil’s Cristian Ribera who is hoping to make history in the same category. Having debuted at PyeongChang 2018, the Brazilian took his country’s first winter sport World Championships medal in Lillehammer in the sprint. 

Cross-country from Beijing 2022 gets underway on 6 March with the long distance men’s and women’s sitting. 

The complete schedule and results from Beijing 2022 are available on Paralympic.org.