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Skiing with the most decorated Winter Paralympian for Canada, Whitehorse cross-country ski guide returned from his second Paralympic Games with three medals with his teammate Brian McKeever.

Nishikawa, the main guide for McKeever throughout the season leading up to the Games, split the guide duties with Russell Kennedy throughout the races.

Nishikawa said they usually don鈥檛 have this option in other competitions and it made sense to use both guides.

鈥淔rom my perspective, we have an extra guide there, it鈥檚 just safer,鈥� Nishikawa told the Star Wednesday. 鈥淲e can make sure that we keep the speed really high for Brian and using two of us, it鈥檚 just almost a luxury to have that option.鈥�

The first race in Pyeongchang was the long-distance 20-km visually impaired free race.

Nishikawa led the race off with McKeever before tagging off to Kennedy for a lap.

Nishikawa entered the race again leading McKeever to a record-setting gold medal.

The medal for Canada鈥檚 opening ceremonies flag bearer was the 14th of his career making him Canada鈥檚 most decorated Winter Paralympian.

But that wasn鈥檛 the end of the medal count for McKeever.

Deciding to rotate guides was also to ensure they can keep pace with the decorated skier throughout the races and for all four of the events at the Games, Nishikawa said.

鈥淲ith two of us then we鈥檙e fresher,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ormally it鈥檚 just me, so we don鈥檛 have these kinds of options an strategies, but when it comes to this huge event we鈥檙e just trying to give him the opportunity to win.鈥�

So Kennedy got the start in the 1.5-km sprint, which is the race Nishikawa won with McKeever in Sochi.

Even though it was a short-distance sprint race, Nishikawa said he was down on the course and ready to jump in if he was needed but Kennedy and McKeever sprinted to the finish in top spot.

In the final individual race, Nishikawa led the 10-km classic and did again switch off with Kennedy who took a loop in the middle of the race before Nishikawa came back into the finish.

This race was a little bit tighter than the previous two, Nishikawa said, causing some nerves out on the course.

鈥淭hat one was closer actually, we always came into the Games like three medals has been (Brian鈥檚) goal and were his goal for the last three Games so we just wanted to nail down one more. He is the class of the field there and he should win these events, he鈥檚 still in peak shape,鈥� Nishikawa said.

Swedish skier Zebastian Modin was in the lead until the mid-way checkpoint of the race and Nishikawa said it was tight between the two teams. But Modin took a stumble causing him to go of course and couldn鈥檛 continue.

McKeever powered to his third gold medal of the games, winning by a minute and 13 seconds over Jake Adicoff from the United States in second.

鈥淚t turned out well for us, but it was nerve-racking for a bit,鈥� Nishikawa said of the final individual race.

The gold in the 10-km was the ninth consecutive individual gold medal for McKeever at the Paralympics dating back to the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

鈥淏rian is in just a complete league of his own,鈥� Nishikawa said of his longtime friend and teammate. 鈥淗e鈥檚 completely earned everything, all these medals. There鈥檚 nobody close to doing what he does as far as training.

鈥淪o I am not shocked by any of these accolades because I see it at every training camp. He鈥檚 just always going.鈥�

McKeever and Nishikawa teamed up with skier Collin Cameron in the open relay competition.

Cameron, who competes in the sitting ski races, skied the first and third legs of the race with McKeever skiing the second and anchor legs with Nishikawa.

In sixth place heading into the final leg, McKeever picked up 40 seconds on the race leaders in the last three kilometres of the race to pick up the bronze medal.

The Canadian ski team had a great Paralympics as a whole, Nishikawa said, and the entire Canadian team returned with a record medal haul of 28 medals 鈥� smashing the previous record of 19 in Vancouver.

Nishikawa said the ski team is taking a well-deserved break to wind down from the Games and then will begin looking at the future in May. For him, this means spending time with his young daughter he was away from.

鈥淚 think everybody needs a little bit of time to figure it out and then we鈥檒l pick it up in May and keep going,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have a twenty-month-old at home. We鈥檒l go to the park and get back to normal around here and then hopefully I鈥檒l get up to the Yukon sometime.鈥�