Without doubt, the GB team at the 2016 Invictus Games did their country proud. They went into battle and came out as winners.
Team GB successfully won 131 medals across the whole of the games, in sports such as wheelchair tennis, swimming and athletics. Our men and women won 49 gold, 46 silver and 36 bronze across the board.
The Team GB swimmers did particularly well, winning medal after medal. Zoe Williams took gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and silver in the 50m backstroke and Mike Goody smashed it in the pool, winning golds for the 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle and the 4x50m freestyle relay, also taking bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Williams and Goody were just the tip of the iceberg, team GB excelled in the Orlando pool.
The closing ceremony was a beautiful celebration of sport. Prince Harry gave Team GB their participant medals, and shook the hand of every team member. The party then started in earnest, with an hour of music followed by moving speeches from the Second Lady and the Captain of Team USA.
Prince Harry summed up the competition and the amazing bigger picture that surrounds the Invictus Games; the rehabilitation, the people who are now seeking help having realised that there is hope and the support that competitors had for one another.
I personally feel truly inspired for watching the games. I’ve not only cheered Team GB on, I’ve cheered on every individual competitor, whether they came first or last. There was more to Invictus than fierce competition. There was the promise of hope and potential for millions of people, those with obvious disabilities and those with hidden disabilities.
The Invictus flag was ceremonially passed over to Canada who will be holding the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto, where we know that Great Britain will once again be a formidable competitor.
You can see the Closing Ceremony here.
Written for the WDSA (UK) by Claire Colley.