Canmore’s Xavier McKeever Finishes 13th in Olympic Skiathlon Debut

Canmore’s Xavier McKeever delivered the strongest Olympic men’s cross-country skiing performance for Canada in eight years this week, finishing 13th in the men’s skiathlon (10km classic + 10km free) at his Winter Games debut.

The result marks Canada’s best individual Olympic finish in the men’s field since Alex Harvey’s performance in 2018 and represents a breakthrough moment for the 22-year-old second-generation Olympian who grew up training on Bow Valley trails.

The skiathlon combines two disciplines in a single race: athletes complete the first half using classic technique, skiing in set tracks, before switching equipment midway and finishing with the free, or skate, technique. All competitors start together, making positioning, pacing, and tactical decisions critical throughout the mass-start format.

McKeever said he entered the race encouraged by how his body felt in training, but still unsure how that would translate under Olympic pressure.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honest,” he said after the race. “I’ve been feeling good in training all week, and you don’t often know if that’s going to transpire to the races. But I started with some confidence knowing the body was feeling good, and I just tried to ski as efficiently as possible and make smart decisions tactically.”

He said his performance built steadily as the race progressed.

“I just felt like I got better and better throughout the race,” he said. “Switching to skate I had a bit of a rough moment at the start of the skate leg, but that’s pretty typical for skiathlon. Once it settled, I felt my legs again and felt really strong. Skating is something I struggled with in the past, so to feel that strong in that state was incredible.”

McKeever, who qualified for the Games by winning the sprint free event at the Canadian Olympic trials, comes from one of the country’s most accomplished cross-country skiing families. His mother, Milaine Thériault, is a three-time Olympian. His father, Robin McKeever, is also an Olympian and later guided his brother Brian McKeever to multiple Paralympic medals. McKeever has said he grew up around World Cup venues and Olympic-level competition from an early age.

He described the finish in Italy as the race of his life so far, made more meaningful by having family on hand.

“My parents and my grandma on my mom’s side are in the crowd today,” he said. “To have the race of my life so far in front of them at the Olympic Games is insane. I’m at a loss for words. They’ve been so instrumental in my career. This is a really proud moment for me and surely for them too.”

McKeever has steadily climbed the international ranks over the past several seasons, with multiple top results at junior and U23 world championships and a career-best World Cup finish on home snow in Canmore in 2024. His Olympic debut performance now positions him as one of Canada’s leading young cross-country skiers heading into the next cycle.

Watch the 2-minute race recap here: