ON TARGET FOR TOKYO

Ribble Valley army veteran Kieran Wood who triumphed at the Invictus Games in Canada, is now aiming for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, writes Sarah de Waard

Athlete Kieran Wood, 29, was one of three members of the GB Archery Team to win the men’s team open recurve event at the 2017 Invictus Games held in Toronto.

Team GB beat the USA in a nail-biting final, which rested on Kieran’s last two shots. He scored two tens, giving the team maximum points to take home gold!

This impressive victory is a culmination of Kieran’s passion and dedication to the sport, which has seen him forge a life as a professional athlete after a severe brain injury left him unable to continue his life in the army.

Kieran suffered life changing injuries in a car accident in 2007, just one day after returning from a tour of Iraq with the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.

After seven months in hospital, Kieran was transferred to the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court, where regular physio and gym sessions inspired him to take up a variety of sports. He now has a team of dedicated support workers who assist him with his day to day life, and continues to have the support of the army and his ex-comrades, who have encouraged him to achieve his sporting goals.

Kieran first competed in the inaugural Invictus games in 2014, where he won bronze for rowing, and he competed in cycling, rowing and archery in Orlando in 2016.

A love for archery, where he uses his mouth to shoot the arrow due to weakness in his right-hand side, led Kieran to focus on the sport full time, and he now trains all year with the Bowmen of Pendle and Samlesbury alongside coach Sue Jackson, and hopes to compete in the next Invictus Games in Sydney in 2018.

The sport requires excellent hand-eye co-ordination, a skill which Kieran hasn’t lost thanks to his army firearms training, and he is capable of hitting bullseye after bullseye. Kieran admits that initially the specific strength training needed for the sport was painful, but after years of practice and specialist exercise he has adapted well.

The Invictus Games is the only international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, and was founded by Prince Harry after a visit to the Warrior Games in the USA in 2013, where he saw how the power of sport and competition could help injured people physically, psychologically and socially. This year 550 men and women from 17 nations competed in 12 adaptive sports in what Prince Harry called: “A display of the very best of the human spirit.”

Kieran’s support worker Sean tells me: “Kieran is on first name terms with Prince Harry, and he has been hugely impressed with the Prince’s passion for the games and the hard work he has put in to realise them. The Prince takes the time to speak to everyone and really gets involved, which is incredibly motivating for the athletes.

“The games and the enjoyment of sport has given Kieran a purpose in life and he doesn’t let what happened stop him. He’s always looking at trying new sports and is hoping to qualify for the archery team in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, which is a distance of 70m rather than 18m at the Invictus Games. With his determination and focus, his support team, family and friends have no doubt that he will continue to excel in whatever he chooses to do.”

Kieran has dedicated his gold medal to his close friend and support worker Steve Guy, who passed away in July.

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