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RACE TO BE REMEMBERED – Brian McKeever and his guide Graham Nishikawa win the gold medal in the Men’s 1-km Sprint Visually Impaired Final at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, in March. MATTHEW MURNAGHAN/CANADIAN PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE

Nishikawa family to be honoured by home ski club

Emily and Graham Nishikawa, along with their parents, will be honoured by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club next week.

By Whitehorse Star on December 19, 2014

Emily and Graham Nishikawa, along with their parents, will be honoured by the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club next week.

The club will be saluting the Olympic and Paralympic athletes by adding new signs to its Olympic Trail. The signs will be unveiled with a ceremony Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Meanwhile, the star skiers’ parents, Bob Nishikawa and Joan Stanton, will also be honoured for their commitment to the sport with an award named in honour of the late Father Jean-Marie Mouchet.

The Father Mouchet award – named after the Oblate priest regarded as the father of cross-country skiing in the territory – is presented to Yukoners who present commitment, initiative and leadership to the sport.

Yukon Commissioner Doug Phillips will then present the Commissioner’s Award of Canada to longtime club members Nick and Linda Stratis for their volunteer commitment to the sport and the local community.

Those expected to attend the festivities include members of the Yukon Ski Team, including former Olympian Alain Masson, as well as members of the general public and ski community.

The Nishikawa siblings are being recognized for their participation in cross-country skiing during the Sochi 2014 Paralympic and Olympic games.

Emily Nishikawa, 25, is competing in her fourth season on the national senior development team.

One of the territory’s most successful racers domestically, she achieved her dream last year by qualifying to represent Canada at the 2014 Olympics.

In 2013, she made her first international start at the world championships in Italy alongside her older brother, and is now focused on beginning a new Olympic journey in 2018.

Graham Nishikawa, 31, began his ski career exploring the trails in and around Whitehorse.

A member of Canada’s senior development squad, he qualified to represent Canada at the world championships in 2013 for the first time at the elite level.

Graham Nishikawa joined teammate and friend Brian McKeever and helped guide him to three gold medals at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Exercising an innovative strategy to overcome the challenging race conditions in Sochi, McKeever utilized both of his training partners and guides, Graham Nishikawa and Erik Carleton, to win gold in both the 20-kilometre classic-ski race and the 10-km skate-ski race.

Nishikawa also guided McKeever to a thrilling victory in the sprint race.

The Whitehorse ski club’s goal is to recognize all Olympians who are living in Whitehorse by placing signs in their honour on Olympic Trail.

The easy two-km trail begins at the Sumanik Drive bridge. Olympic Trail was established in the mid-90s to recognize Yukoners Lucy Steele-Masson and Jane Vincent who competed in the Albertville Games in 1992.

Lunch and refreshments will be available following the ceremonies. All aspects of the day are open to the public.

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