Two Shropshire heroes named as part of Prince Harry's Invictus team

Shrewsbury's Nick Beighton and Kevin Drake have been selected among the 90-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) military personnel and veterans who have been selected to represent the UK at the 2017 Invictus Games.

Prince Harry, Patron of the Invictus Games Foundation, has unveiled the team of competitors selected to represent the UK at the Invictus Games Toronto 2017. There are a total of 19 athletes from the West Midlands.

Kevin Drake had a leg amputated last year after an injury in 2013, and has faced a series of operations. He hopes to compete in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and rowing at the games.

On October 5 2009, Nick Beighton, then 28, stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED), losing both his legs.

In 2010, he attended a Paralympic talent identification day at Brunel University first sculled that summer.

Since then he has competed as part of Team GB's paralympic team and picked up a bronze in para-canoe at the Rio Olympics 2016.

The 90-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) serving military personnel and veterans came together for the first time since selection at the Tower of London. Prince Harry met the team ahead of the forthcoming Invictus Games in September, and posed for the first official team photograph.

More hopefuls than ever before, 306 WIS military personnel and veterans, trialed 11 sports for one of the 90 place available on the UK team. T

The rigorous selection process was based on the benefit the Invictus Games will give an individual as part of their recovery, combined with performance and commitment to training.

Over 60 per cent of this year’s team are new to the Invictus Games and were spurred on to apply off the back of the inaugural Invictus Games in 2014, the success of the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando and the day-to-day sports recovery activity that takes place.

The team will compete in 11 sports: Athletics; Archery; Wheelchair Basketball; Cycling; Powerlifting; Indoor Rowing; Wheelchair Rugby; Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Tennis and a new sport for 2017, Golf.

The 2017 UK Team Captain was also named this morning as former Army Major Bernie Broad, who takes over the mantel from 2016 Captain, David Wiseman.

Bernie lost both his legs below the knee due to injuries sustained in an explosion in Helmand Province in 2009. He underwent four years of extensive surgery and rehabilitation followed by two years of assistance from the Personnel Recovery Unit at Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell.

He said: “Since being medically retired from the Armed Forces in 2014, I feel that I have taken my foot off the gas and become quite complacent. I have always been a keen and competitive sportsman, so I kick started my fitness regime and now regularly swim, cycle and walk. I am looking forward to taking part in the Invictus Games as I see this involvement as a way to re-focus me physically and mentally and to re-engage in a full, active, competitive and fulfilling life.”

On being chosen as UK Team Captain, he added: “The Invictus Games are empowering and inspire all of us as competitors to be the best version of ourselves. It allows us to be judged on what we can achieve, rather than what we can’t. To simply be selected for the UK Team was an amazing achievement. To then be further selected as the UK Team Captain filled me with such immense pride and it is a huge privilege to be given this honour. I definitely stood taller and my chest expanded quite a bit.”

The team will continue to train in various locations across the country as part of Help for Heroes’ extensive Sports recovery programme and role to train and develop the team.

The Invictus Games Toronto 2017 will take place from September 23 to 30. To find out more, go to invictusgames2017.com