Team UK’s time at the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025 has come to an end after an inspiring ten days of sport and triumph over adversity.
The Invictus Games have delivered an incredible event, showcasing the power of sport in recovery, inspiring competitors, their families and the Armed Forces community who witnessed first-hand the determination, courage and achievements of those who have overcome extraordinary challenges.
The Games showcase the fortitude and resilience of military personnel and their families and those who serve or have served their country. But what happens when the Games are over?
In this documentary, the truth of living with and accepting how being wounded, injured or sick can change your life, some of Team UK who serve or served with the RAF tell their stories and share how they want to continue to support the Invictus Games now that the event in Canada is over.
What the competitors want to share with those listening, is how powerful the Invictus Games – and sport in general – can be in your recovery.
“A big thing for me is I really want to keep promoting the programme. Because for me it’s been so powerful. If that can just reach one person that felt the way I did, and help them to realise, you may think you’ve tried everything but there are other things out there. I really hope that my contribution to the Invictus Games and my part of the programme and the journey isn’t about what we achieve this time round, it’s about getting other people involved for the legacy of the games. So that they get involved next time round and it helps them.”
Corporal Matthew ‘Twitch’ Wickens
The RAF People & Recovery Support Unit supports Personnel on Recovery Duty (PRD), enabling them to focus on their return to duty or a smooth transition to an appropriately skilled civilian life. Once assigned as PRD, people will be allocated a Personnel Recovery Officer (PRO) to work with them to create a suitable Individual Recovery Plan enabling them to focus on their preferred outcome. As well as various sports, there are also adventurous training, theatre and art programmes available for personnel, veterans and families which are delivered by partners.
Birmingham 2027
After hosting a spectacular Games which included winter sports for the first time, Canada handed the Invictus Games flag back to the United Kingdom, who will host the next Games in Birmingham in 2027. The 2027 Games will bring together 550 competitors from up to 25 countries, introduce new sports and will be the first to feature esports.
“The Invictus Games represent the very best of resilience, determination and the unconquerable human spirit, and I am thrilled to play a leading role in the Games’ journey to Birmingham. These games are not just about competition; they are about hope, recovery, and the strength we find in coming together to support those who have sacrificed so much, and to inspire people from around the globe to focus on what we can do and not what we can not, creating lasting impact and legacy as we go.”
Helen Helliwell
CEO, Invictus Games Birmingham 2027
The Invictus Games are just one of the many ways the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion help these individuals on their path to recovery, providing renewed purpose, lifelong camaraderie, and the honour of representing their country on the world stage.
While medals are awarded at the Invictus Games, each country’s medal tally is not the measure of success, rather, it is to enhance the health, happiness and wellbeing of those who take part and provide the motivation and support they need to keep moving forward. Through sport, the Invictus Games change lives and save lives. The medals are secondary.
Team UK Medals
Indoor Rowing
GOLD Mina ENDELEY (RAF) - Women's IR6(M) One Minute Sprint
SILVER Joanne LYNCH (RAF) - Women's IR6(M) One Minute Sprint
GOLD Mina ENDELEY (RAF) - Women's IR6(M) Four Minute Endurance
SILVER Joanne LYNCH (RAF) - Women's IR6(M) Four Minute Endurance
SILVER Natalie LEWIS (RAF) - Women's IR7 One Minute Sprint
GOLD Kayleigh PIERCE (RAF) - Women's IR5 One Minute Sprint
SILVER Stacey MITCHELL (RAF) - Women's IR5 One Minute Sprint
BRONZE Gemma BARNES (ARMY) - Women's IR7 Four Minute Endurance
GOLD Kayleigh PIERCE (RAF) - Women's IR5 Four Minute Endurance
SILVER Stacey MITCHELL (RAF) - Women's IR5 Four Minute Endurance
GOLD Benjamin LUKOWSKI (ROYAL MARINES) - Men's IR5 One Minute Sprint
SILVER Andrew ALLEN (ARMY) - Men's IR2 One Minute Sprint
BRONZE Andrew MCEVOY (ARMY) - Men's IR7 Four Minute Endurance
GOLD Benjamin LUKOWSKI (ROYAL MARINES) - Men's IR5 Four Minute Endurance
GOLD Andrew ALLEN (ARMY) - Men's IR2 Four Minute Endurance
Swimming
BRONZE Team United Kingdom - Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay
SILVER Paul CHARLES (ROYAL MARINES) - Men's 100m Freestyle ISE
SILVER Ross WISBY (RAF) - Men's 50m Backstroke ISE
BRONZE Paul CHARLES (ROYAL MARINES) - Men's 50m Backstroke ISE
BRONZE Mark ABEL (ARMY) - Men's 50m Breaststroke ISD-VI
GOLD Amanda PYE (ARMY) - Women's 50m Breaststroke ISC
BRONZE Paul CHARLES (ROYAL MARINES) - Men's 50m Freestyle ISE
BRONZE Samantha MAY (RAF) - Women's 50m Freestyle ISE
SILVER Mark ABEL (ARMY) - Men's 50m Freestyle ISD-VI
SILVER Amanda PYE (ARMY) - Women's 50m Freestyle ISC
Wheelchair Rugby
SILVER - Team United Kingdom
Snowboarding
SILVER Kyle BURGESS (ARMY) - Men's Int-Adv ISB5 - Open & MFI
GOLD Kemsley WHITTLESEA (ARMY) - Men's Novice ISB5 - Open & MFI
Alpine Skiing
BRONZE Stacey MITCHELL (RAF) - Women's Int-Adv IAS1 - Sit Ski
BRONZE Samantha MAY (RAF) - Women's Int-Adv IAS4 - Open & MFI
GOLD Kayleigh PIERCE (RAF) - Women's Novice IAS1 - Sit Ski
BRONZE Rebecca PREECE (RAF) - Women's Novice IAS4 - Open & MFI
Biathlon
SILVER Jon HOWE (ARMY) - Men's Int-Adv IBI2 - Standing Ski
Nordic Cross-Country
BRONZE Malgorzata AINSWORTH (RAF) - Women's Novice INO4 - Open
BRONZE Andrew ALLEN (ARMY) - Men's Novice INO1 - Sit Ski
Skeleton
SILVER Carl ELLIS (RAF) - ISK5 Single Run
GOLD Elizabeth BROWN (RAF) - ISK2 Single Run
Wheelchair Curling
SILVER - Team United Kingdom
