The Road to the Games Invictus Games

-You must be proud of this.

-I'm hugely proud of it.

You know, it's a massive team effort.

The second Invictus Games coming up,

a lot of ex-military personnel taking part,

it's very clear when I see you with the military guys

that there's a very special bond there.

I've always viewed myself as Captain Wales first, Prince Harry second.

I spent ten years in the Army, wearing the same uniform

as these guys, as far as they're concerned, I'm one of them.

You share something, you share something very unique.

Some people come to the end of their service,

-like, you got to choose that you were actually moving on...

-Yes.

..and so you had some time to prepare, but not everybody does.

They get sort of ripped from that service and

that's incredibly difficult for them to come to terms with, isn't it?

It is really difficult to be cut down literally in your prime.

Now you're being told you can't serve your country, you can't

do the career that you love, and you can't be with your mates.

Where does that leave anybody?

You are an individual that has chosen to serve your country,

that to me makes you worthy of being part of

something as amazing as the Invictus Games.

Invictus is... It's an opportunity for me to give something back.

This is the story of five ex-soldiers.

Each one has lost something.

For some that may be a limb,

for others it's their peace of mind or self-worth.

It's affected all of us, the whole family.

But what they haven't lost is their fighting spirit.

I want to win, I want to win gold.

Now their fight is for a place at this year's Games in Orlando.

The road will be tough, with highs...

and lows...

Oh, it's still fresh in my eyes.

..as they push themselves to the limit...

If you really want this, you've got to work hard!

..to prove they have what it takes to represent their country

at the Invictus Games.

-TV COMMENTATOR:

-'Now, entering the square, the British Armed Forces!'

This was a laugh.

It's been well over a year since the last Invictus Games

and Prince Harry is meeting up with some of the champions of 2014.

Look at you in rig! I didn't know you own a uniform.

Don't try and drag me into it.

-What is that in your head?

-What a hat!

THEY ALL LAUGH

This is where it all started,

this was one of the most amazing things ever,

but it was too small and it needed to be taken to a bigger stage.

And from my perspective it was important to get

the rest of the world watching people's lives being changed

through sport, literally there in front of you.

-PRESENTER:

-'In London today for the first Invictus Games,

'the brainchild, of course, of Prince Harry.'

'Yes, and some of the competitors have actually lost limbs...'

That's a nice touch.

This was one of the points where

we started to get a feeling of how enormous this was going to be.

I was like, "Whoa, this is pretty serious now."

-Then you did it on Buckingham Palace as well.

-Buckingham Palace as well.

-Just to really rub it in.

-Did you call that favour in?

-That was a favour called in.

-THEY ALL LAUGH

-TV COMMENTATOR:

-'All eyes are on captain Dave Henson in this one.'

-Dave looking very serious there, actually.

-I'm a serious man.

You used to be.

STARTING GUN FIRES

No, I don't think I was nervous at this point.

Yeah, I knew I had this.

'Look at how he's going here.

'Smooth as you like,

'and that's a great win. He's going to just hang onto this...'

"Get off me!"

So rank.

THEY ALL LAUGH

-That was a good little one, that.

-What, the old classic...

Finish together, all get a gold.

-COMMENTATOR:

-'And the three of them have decided that

'they will come across the line together here.'

You were in the middle, right? That was us both pulling you then.

-Were you even peddling at this point?

-No.

I mean, going back to you, Vicey, you specifically asked me

-to design a competition/award specifically for mouth darts.

-Yes.

And even then... even then you failed.

You came third out of three.

Every day was, like, upping, upping, upping, upping.

-By the time we got to the closing concert, I was an emotional...

-Yeah.

-It was a very sandy environment.

-Yes.

-Sandy!

From the front to the back,

one, two, three... Go!

CHEERING

Welcome to the stage, Team Great Britain!

CHEERING

That was ridiculous.

This was another reason why we pushed for it in London that year,

in 2014, because we just knew that if anybody was going to catapult

this onto the international stage, it would be the British public.

And the British public came out and gave it everything.

Now the trials are coming up,

it's already starting to explode again like it did last time.

I'm really excited to see what kind of magic we get from this one now.

I think Orlando is going to be huge.

Even the medal winners of 2014

will have to earn their place on this year's team.

At the upcoming UK trials they'll be joined by over 100 new faces.

It'll be three days of intense competition...

..covering ten sports,

with just 100 places up for grabs.

CHEERING

Without you guys here, our friends and our family,

we'd be in pieces at home.

With your support, we're here in front of you today,

kicking the arse out of life!

-Thank you!

-CHEERING

Chris was just 20 years old when his life changed for ever.

ALARM BEEPS

I woke up that day and I knew something was going to happen,

but I was there to do the job so we had to go out and do it.

I stepped in the wrong place at the wrong time,

won the lottery that nobody wants to win.

Chris was serving in Afghanistan with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

when, out on a routine patrol,

he stepped on an explosive device.

'I felt I was in the air for a while

'and landed in the crater where the device was buried.

'Took out both my legs on impact.'

Good girl.

'My memories are crystal clear.

'I remember getting dragged out of the crater that I was in.

'I remember I tried to self tourniquet.

'It was all bloody, like bones was hanging out.'

'I remember waking up in hospital,

'my mam was in bits, my sister was in bits.

'So my dad, like, he didn't shed a tear as such,

but I knew, the look on his face, that it was bad.

At first the reaction was, "Why? Why my family?"

But then you're seeing some of the states that other soldiers were in

and you were just so thankful.

Nine days later I was 21.

Just knowing that I was a 21-year-old lad

who'd just been blown up, lost his legs, I thought that was it.

I was like, "What's the point living?" sort of thing.

And that was when I started drinking loads.

I was told by people, "You need to curb it, you need to stop it."

"What? Don't be stupid, I'm 21. I'm just being a 21-year-old."

I wasn't getting the physio or the rehab that I needed

because I was too hungover to go to those sessions.

It was when Chris got involved with a charity that introduces

injured soldiers to scuba-diving

that he started to get his life back on track.

I'm like, "Hang on a minute, I've just been blown up,

"I've just lost both my legs, and you want

"to take me out scuba-diving?" I went, "Are you mad?"

I went in, the pain stopped.

My head stopped just bothering me,

my feet weren't tickling,

I was swimming along with, like, fully able-bodied people.

I got out the water, I was in tears,

it just changed my life.

Yes, it dawned on me that I'm not dead until I'm dead,

and that is it.

Just getting you warm, mate, just getting you warm.

Wait! That was off.

Hole in your racket, mate.

I'm not breathing hard, don't worry.

Just as well I'm not wearing a pulse alarm.

You know, you come out to just play a fun game...

-CHRIS LAUGHS

-Competitiveness, mate.

-You've got to win.

-You've GOT to win.

Are you feeling that again now that you're going for the team?

Competition is fierce and I'll do my damnedest to get on the squad.

I want to win, I want to win gold.

Incoming!

Dropped it in the corner.

You've got that little smug little grin you've got as well, yeah!

You've also represented your country in the Warrior Games, haven't you?

Yeah, I done the Warrior Games last year

and just getting a taste for that, I was like, "I want more of this,"

and then it just kept me on the straight and narrow.

At the American Warrior Games, Chris competed

in volleyball, basketball and rugby.

He plans to enter multiple sports again,

at this year's Invictus trials.

Right, let's go.

Medic!

Oh-oh!

-Aargh!

-Yes!

-Yeah, that's where I look really nice.

-Nice camera angle!

No power.

-Had you fixed this yet?

-Fixed?

The whole head so far out of the water thing?

It's the waves!

Friends Jen and Nerys are also competing at the upcoming trials.

Nerys is going for wheelchair basketball

and Jen, wheelchair racing.

-It was amazing, wasn't it?

-It was, yeah, my heart is in my race chair.

That's where I love to be.

Although both were medics in the British Army,

it was after injury that their paths crossed,

when they took part in the Arch To Arc challenge.

-NEWSREADER:

-'24 wounded,

'injured and sick military personnel and veterans

'are taking part in what has been called the hardest triathlon

'anywhere in the world.'

'This is some effort, they've just finished nearly 90 miles

'from Marble Arch to Dover,

'and are currently swimming the English Channel.'

Jen has limited use of her legs

and Nerys is paralysed from the chest down,

but this didn't stop them becoming the first-ever women's team

to complete the 300 mile race.

It was. This must have been the jellyfish swim.

Evil little things.

I started singing to them, until I realised that when I sung to them

that one got in my mouth and stung the inside of my lip.

I was like, "No more singing."

I was just like, "I'm not letting floppy bits of jelly

"stopping me from getting to France."

I was like, "Get out of my way!"

-Loving the hills.

-Awesome.

-Loving the hills.

-Yeah.

What is it about military people that they have to go off

and beast themselves, and even if they lose limbs,

they take it even more extreme?

I think it's about proving to yourself, "Right,

"I was the meanest," you know, "I was the meanest guy around,

"I was superfit, now look at me, I'm now stuck in a wheelchair.

"What can I do to prove to myself and prove to everybody else

"that I'm still the person that I used to be?"

So it's about redefining yourself.

CHEERING

Being part of the Arch To Arc,

just...it gave me confidence that I didn't actually know was in me.

CHEERING

It was just amazing.

I think for the first time I didn't feel like a disabled athlete.

Major Jen Warren dedicated her career to saving the lives

of those serving their country on the front line.

I loved being in the Army, I loved the challenges

and the sort of unpredictability,

and, you know, I still miss that.

I went out to Afghanistan in '06/'07

as a general duties doctor.

It was amazing because it was great to kind of feel that you were

doing something to help the lads that were out there.

It's crazy to think I went through that experience unscathed,

and then have an accident where you just...

kind of taken out by a kid.

Jen was on holiday after returning from Afghanistan,

when a group of skiers ran into her.

She was left with a badly broken leg, in need of a bone graft.

Complications led to severe nerve damage,

leaving Jen with limited use of her legs,

and chronic pain for the rest of her life.

All of a sudden, you know, I couldn't do my job in the Army

and I just...I felt really useless.

It took me a long time to come to terms with what had happened,

but I've never been someone to walk away from anything.

Sadly Jen's medical career in the Army was over,

but she was determined to continue her training

as an anaesthetist in the NHS.

With my chair, people assume that I'm a lost patient or, you know,

if I try and log-on one of the computers people will be like,

"Oh, what are you doing?"

And it's like, "My work!"

When I first started going into work I would find it quite difficult

talking to patients because it would remind me

of how I felt in that situation, but I genuinely believe that

I'm a better doctor because of what happened to me.

-Right, where's your shoesies? Can you find your shoesies?

-Yeah!

'I don't think anyone finds being a parent easy.'

Come on, sausage, this way.

'For me it's quite hard.'

You've been a good girl, haven't you?

'I've got challenges that are different, but'

they're not necessarily bigger or harder, they're just different.

We're going over a bump, are you ready?

-Bump, bump!

-Bump.

Yeah, let's go to the park.

'People say, "Oh, I'll just pop to the shops," or "I'll just pop out here," '

and that's what I hate, I can't pop anywhere.

'When I try and walk places I find it incredibly difficult,

'I'm very slow.'

We're so late.

Yeah, we're often late, aren't we?

'I'm literally limited to sort of five to ten metres.'

You try and live your life where you can walk five to ten metres,

without getting tired.

-Whee!

-THEY LAUGH

'It's quite scary having a toddler that can walk and I don't want

'to put her in danger, you know, taking her to a play park and having

'her fall off something because I wasn't there to catch her.'

Right, you must, must hold on.

Be very careful.

I was just frightened, really, it took quite a lot of confidence.

-Just frightened.

-I was frightened. Yes, Mummy was frightened.

Whoosh! Are you holding on?

'I look at her legs and I feel quite jealous.'

It's funny cos, you know, she's a toddler, I shouldn't...

I shouldn't have those feelings, but I do.

Push, push, push.

Jen is in training for the wheelchair racing event

at the UK Invictus trials.

Sport is what started getting me out of the anger

and frustration of my life.

You can tap into that anger, channel it,

you know, beating the wheels.

I don't think about my injury, I don't think about anything

when I'm in this thing, other than, "Oh, my God, can I stop?"

It really just helped me change the way I view things

and see things as more positive.

-PRESENTER:

-'The President and First Lady were treated to

'a royal visit at the White House.'

'Prince Harry is here to help kick off the run-up

'to the 2016 Invictus Games.'

APPLAUSE

-TANNOY:

-'The First Lady, Michelle Obama!'

There's no official medals table in the Invictus Games,

but the UK finished top of it last time.

'His Royal Highness, Prince Harry!'

This year the Americans are looking to make the most

of their home advantage.

How's everybody doing?

All right, ladies, Prince Harry is here,

-don't act like you don't notice.

-LAUGHTER

Come on, come on!

This is truly an amazing, wonderful event,

full of fierce competition,

incredible athleticism,

and truly inspiring stories.

We could not be more proud of all of you.

And now it is my pleasure to introduce our guest of honour,

and I guess I should also apologise to him in advance

for all the gold medals that America will win in Orlando.

CHEERING

Hello, everyone.

The Invictus Games seeks to change perceptions

of physical and mental injury.

One thing we have to talk about more is breaking down these barriers

around so-called invisible injuries, like post-traumatic stress,

just as we have for physical injuries like the loss of a limb.

This fear of coming forward as a result of the stigma which surrounds

mental health is one of the greatest challenges that veterans face today.

This is your brain, Tom?

Yeah, I was surprised there was one on there, to be honest, but...

there is one on there.

'Tom served with the RAF for 26 years.

'He was diagnosed

'with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2011.'

Can we see on there where Tom's brain has been affected by PTSD?

Yeah, around this area here is the amygdala, and that's a fuse box,

that's where the facts, sensations and emotions

get put together into a short-term memory,

and then normally all that goes into one place in the brain,

which is the memory bank, as it were.

What happens with PTSD is that the fuse box blows,

it doesn't work properly,

and your mind doesn't do any filing in memory.

Later on, the rule is that the mind will try to file,

so that's why you get intrusive memories, you get nightmares

and flashbacks, which initially at least are replays, actual replays

of what happened, and that's what PTSD is, it's like a stuck record.

So, when an episode happens, you actually get clear visual...

The images do, they drop in, it's like a...

literally like a photograph dropping in.

And it's intense, it affects your body, you tense up,

it's sweats, um, and you're shaking, it's like a fear reaction.

Then you come out of it and you're absolutely devastated.

Tom's job during his tour in Afghanistan

was to repatriate British soldiers killed in action.

At the time, you cope with it, because you're doing a job.

and it's such an important role that you do your best.

Being in that military environment, which was, you know,

a tough environment to be in, you didn't show any emotion...

..and so, I became emotionally numb.

But when Tom returned home, these experiences caught up with him.

He started suffering flashbacks.

Seeing repatriations on TV would cause an emotional reaction.

Maybe it might be music I might hear that reminded me

of being back in, you know, Iraq or Afghanistan.

It's a bit like a lightning strike, you know, you never know

when they're going to happen.

And just the isolation that you go through.

I couldn't have love, I couldn't have happiness,

all these normal emotions that you have.

And that's the really scary bit.

Tom's distinguished career included tours in the Falklands, Iraq

and Afghanistan. He was awarded an MBE for his exemplary service.

I'd been very sporty as a child and also then

joining the military, I had done a number of sports.

I've run the London Marathon, I used to do some boxing.

And all of a sudden, I stopped.

Tom's condition worsened as he started suffering seizures

triggered by his PTSD.

I had the diagnosis, put onto strong medication,

and it did nothing, it did absolutely nothing.

It was probably two to three years that I was, you know,

really not functioning, I was just existing.

But now, Tom has set his sights on a place in this year's UK team.

At the upcoming trials, he'll be trying out for shot put,

discus and rowing.

And the long road back to fitness begins in Tom's outdoor gym.

The Invictus Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So I'm determined to get myself fitter and stronger

so that I can be the best that I can on the day.

One method Tom uses to process images related to his PTSD

is art therapy.

-Doing the first one is the key, I think.

-Yeah.

That's what helped me, I think, was getting that first painting down.

It was like opening a door in the brain, you know,

-it was like a key...

-Yeah.

-..opening the door,

then all of a sudden, it's just...

You know, it was five, then I did ten

and then 15 and 20, you know,

then 30 and 40, and I think it's about 70 canvases I've done so far.

-HE CHUCKLES

-Yeah.

Tom's been painting for two years now.

But for air trooper Chris Jones, today is his first time.

I expect you're going to tell me that you haven't done art

since you were six?

-No, 16.

-16?

-Yeah.

That means you're an expert, then.

Not according to the F that I got, no!

You can just paint something straight out of your mind,

just paint straight onto the canvas.

-I wouldn't paint out of MY mind!

-No?

Chris left the Army in 1998.

He is one of the many veterans who suffers from both physical

and psychological scars.

The initial injury was caused whilst I was on a training exercise.

I broke my left foot and tore the Achilles tendon.

And that, compounded by the other injuries that

I sustained subsequently, has left me

with having somewhere between 40% and 50% reduced mobility in my legs.

For me, the physical injuries, you just accept them, you know

what your limitations are and aren't and you just crack on.

But when this isn't working properly, you don't know

where you're going to be, one minute from the next.

I absolutely loved being a soldier,

it was all I'd ever wanted to do since I was a tiny little chap.

Once I was a soldier and I was serving, I couldn't get enough.

The military spend a lot of time and money

training you to be a soldier and stop being a civilian.

To then go from being a soldier to a civilian...

-HE SNAPS HIS FINGERS

-..in a single day,

that pride was just wiped away, it was gone.

But at the same time, you feel like you're still that, you know,

supremely fit, phenomenally capable, highly trained individual.

You get that clash in your head,

it's a very difficult thing to live with.

-TOM:

-And that's your first time you've painted...?

Yeah, it's the first time.

-I've surprised myself.

-Yeah.

-You know, to capture, you know, the way the waves fall in and...

-Yeah.

..then the colours, is stunning.

This was the first painting I did.

So, that was me on tour.

Doing the re-pats.

It was a very humble experience, so, you know, to have to do that job.

-Yeah.

-You know...

-You all right, mate?

-TEARFULLY:

-Yeah, good.

-TEARFULLY:

-Yeah.

HE EXHALES

Still can set my emotions... You all right? Oh, dear.

That's what it's all about, brother.

Oh, it's still fresh, still fresh in the eyes.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, it's the first one, and like I say, from that,

-I just kept going and going.

-Yeah.

So, for you, doing your first one, you know, doing a wave,

that's a wave of emotion that's here, innit, you know?

SEABIRDS CALL

WAVES CRASH

It was my only sanctuary.

Because I knew that I could go out there and there weren't going

to be that many people that would come out there with me.

That became a safe place.

Chris started surf kayaking after being discharged from the Army.

Psychologically, I was not in a good place at all.

And being able to go out on the water,

it was like clearing my mind out and giving me my sanity back.

And giving me the strength to carry on dealing with what

I was having to deal with every day.

But when his condition deteriorated,

it became too dangerous for Chris to continue.

When I had to give that up, I went into quite a bleak place,

and I struggled a lot.

There's no question that both the physical

and mental injuries haven't affected just me,

there's been a big impact on my wife and my son as well.

It's affected all of us, the whole family.

EXCITED SHOUTING

Chris's passion for kayaking was something that he shared

with his son Max.

SHOUTING AND LAUGHTER

-MAX:

-I do miss it.

Something that brought us close together as a father and son.

In 2009, Chris was diagnosed with a long-term neurological condition.

His last sea kayaking trip with Max nearly cost them their lives.

My brain did exactly what they'd told me it would do,

it got overloaded and so it just started shutting down...

..to the point where I wasn't actually able

to even hold the paddle.

My arms were completely cramping,

it was like somebody had gaffer-taped my arms to my chest.

I'd dropped my paddle, that was gone,

I was probably about that close to blinking out.

It was just a case of trying to keep my balance enough for the boat

to gently drift onto this beach.

It was just pure luck that there happened to be

a couple on the beach who were able to come down,

because poor old Max, bless him, wouldn't have been able

to do anything, I think he was only ten at the time,

he wouldn't have been able

to actually do anything himself to help me.

I think it only really hit me, precisely what was going on,

once the coastguard arrived,

and that's when I went, "OK, this is serious."

If my dad wasn't the man he is,

then I don't think we'd have got the happy ending we did.

And I'd hope that if he gets to the Invictus Games,

he can really show everyone what I see in him as my dad.

'When I first met Chris,

he was much more mobile than he is these days.'

They've spread out! Where's he gone?

'We used to do so much together.'

It's been really hard. We've missed our days out. Family time.

Sport is a way to go out and

do something together, to share,

and that's really, really

good for you and it's good for your psychology as well.

And without having that and without being able to go out

and do those things, it's quite a dark place to be.

I miss him.

Chris has swapped his kayak for a hand bike,

which he'll be racing at the UK team trials.

I do think he has something to prove to himself,

because his career was cut short.

Invictus is like achieving something,

that he can still do something awesome, really.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-COMMENTATOR:

-'The noise level here in the Copper Box,

'well, it is positively visceral!

'Breakthrough, breakthrough!'

I've watched the basketball final, I don't know how many times.

Well into double digits.

The first time I watched it,

I felt overwhelmed - just the stunning play.

It made me want to put in the hours, so that I could be there

and be part of that.

'..as they get ever closer to having the gold medal hang

'proudly from their necks...'

Nerys only picked up a basketball a year ago,

but now she spends every spare minute on the court.

Yes! Ohhh!

'I've put in 12 hours straight on the basketball court

'a week for the last four months.'

'I really want this.

'I've given up family time -

'I used to have Sunday dinner every Sunday with my family.

'They don't see me now, cos I've got three hours of basketball training.'

I spent six years thinking that I wasn't worth anything.

What turned it around for me was rediscovering sport.

Growing up, I was always on the more kind of boy-ey kind of sports side.

Proper geek, nerd, science and maths are my thing,

hence the medical path that I took.

My fitness was pretty amazing at that point.

I'd think nothing of going to the Brecon Beacons

and running 19 miles with 40 kilos on a weekend,

so the Army was the choice for me.

In the Army, I was a combat specialist medic.

I was last based with the guys down in Portsmouth.

It was fast paced and I loved that,

so, yeah, I wouldn't have changed it.

But it was just four years after joining the Army

that Nerys's career was cut short.

As a front-line medic, you know,

you're really aware that you could get injured, you know,

or worse, and I think you accept that,

because it's part of your job and you love what you do.

But I wasn't expecting my life to get changed by doing

less than 10mph on the motorbike back here in the UK.

On the 23rd of October 2008, I got on my motorbike,

just to pop out and do a couple of things. I was on a straight road.

A car reversed off a kerb from behind a bus stop

and took me and the bike under the car.

SIREN WAILS

I got crushed.

Ended up eventually completely paralysed from the chest down.

I feel like I let the military down, because I didn't get blown up.

And at that point, there were

so many people coming back with horrendous injuries, I felt guilty.

I felt guilty about getting anything from the military,

so I cut myself off.

It was a good three years where I just didn't ever leave the house.

Half the time, I didn't even get up, you know, I just couldn't see any...

..worth in myself, in even trying.

When I was in the dark space,

I just didn't think that I had anything to offer anybody,

or that anybody would ever want me in any way.

Nerys hid herself away for three years,

until she finally accepted help from a charity for injured veterans.

Before that trip, I questioned whether I could even get on a plane.

Whenever you're ready.

-I got your saddle, OK?

-Yeah.

Right, start out by going right.

The first ski run, ohh!

The feeling of achievement -

that, for me, just was a life-changing point.

That I could actually be OK,

for the first time since the accid...accident that I...

..that I could actually be back to being a, or that I was still,

a decent person.

Sport's a magical thing.

And it was my life before,

so, you know, why shouldn't it be my life again?

-Have you got balls?

-Yeah.

With the UK Invictus trials only a few days away,

Chris is getting some last-minute practice in.

-Don't made me look bad!

-Sorry!

He's playing James Shaw, the reigning GB national champion.

Ah-ha-ha! Good shot.

-Ah-ha!

-Who is this guy?!

Sorry, mate!

A lot better than I thought you'd be. I mean... No, honestly,

you obviously haven't been playing long and you still...

You've got a good forehand crosscourt,

you kept hitting me with that.

-Yeah, you're playing well.

-Sweet. Awesome, mate, cheers.

-Carry on with it.

-Yeah, definitely stick at it.

For me to go up against him,

and have him struggling to reach some of my return shots

from his serve, yeah, man, it's all looking good, fingers crossed.

I'm off, see you in a bit!

HE GRUNTS

I didn't want that to happen!

Yeah, sweet, that's all right, that's good.

The trials have finally arrived.

Over the next three days, more than 200 new

and returning athletes will fight for just 100 team places.

MUSIC: She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult

-NEWSREADER:

-'Former servicemen and women who've been injured on

'active service came together in Bath today,

'hoping to be chosen for this year's Invictus Games.'

'They were watched by Prince Harry, who set up the Games two years ago.'

There's a hell of a lot of new faces here.

They know that they've got to fill some big boots.

The shirts that we haven't washed since 2014, because of the epic

win that we had, is now being handed over to these guys.

242 competitors, we're going to select a team of 100.

Two competitors for every place, so it's going to be tough.

And of course, we want a team which is going to go and compete well,

and we'd love to beat the Americans in their own back yard.

Yeah!

HE GRUNTS

Competing at trials in the shot put and discus is Tom.

But for him,

just making it here today has been an achievement in itself.

I was taken into hospital only last week with a number of seizures.

You know, it's been a tough couple of weeks.

For a lot of guys, they are not mentally fit.

I think sport naturally plays such an important part to

the recovery of both mental and physical health.

Jen's long hours of training are now behind her.

Today is her chance to prove that she deserves a place on the team.

It's always difficult.

You know, you want to put your all into everything,

and then you suddenly find that there's nothing left

for your family and your job and things,

so, erm, juggling everything has always been a bit tricky.

I've been waiting for this day for 18 months. I really want it.

Set!

STARTING GUN FIRES

Jen wins the 100 metres.

But to secure her place on the team she'll have to

impress in the 200 and 400 metres as well.

Three, two, one, go!

Trials for the basketball team are well under way.

Hands up, hands up, hands up!

The UK won gold in 2014, beating the Americans in an epic final

at the Copper Box Arena in London.

Coach Scott is determined to retain the title...

SHOUTING

..and Nerys has her sights set on one of the coveted team places.

There are a lot of people here and a lot of really great players.

Really looking forward to it, see how it goes.

-Good luck, I'll let you crack on.

-Nervous. Thank you. Thank you.

OK, this is the selection

to become part of the championship holding team.

I've got 12 slots to fill.

If you want to be one of those,

you have to give me absolutely everything.

You've got to show me that you want it now.

Don't leave here thinking, "I could have done more."

OK, let's hit it, let's get to the baseline, we're onto sprints!

If you really want this, you've got to work hard!

Nerys is relatively inexperienced, got into the sport quite recently.

She's hitting it with passion and she's doing it with enthusiasm,

'but I've only got 12 slots.'

Let's step it up!

Catch her up, Nerys, catch her up!

Let's go, Nerys!

Get that ball in the hoop!

Nice!

MUSIC: How You Like Me Now? by The Heavy

I really don't know if I've done enough.

I'm really pleased to still be here at the end of the trials

in the final 20, but out of that he has 12 places.

I'm nervous, really nervous.

It's Day 2 of the trials.

After a shaky start yesterday because of his illness,

Tom is focused on his last chance to make the team -

indoor rowing.

-Go on, drop it down!

-Unfortunately, yesterday I was a bit unwell,

so I could be crying at the end of this!

Let's go!

We've got ambulance on call, haven't we?!

This is Tom's first time ever competing in this style of event.

That's it, Tom.

Good man, good!

It's a four-minute performance test.

Go flat out, as fast as you can, as hard as you can.

20 seconds! Keep it going, keep it going. All the way, all the way!

Yeah, well done!

Nice.

Tom puts in a heroic effort, but he won't know if it's enough

until the team is announced.

Good man, good. You OK?

TOM BREATHES HEAVILY

That's it, keep it slow.

While some people are focusing on their strongest event,

others are taking a different approach to the competition.

I'm doing the 100 metres in the wheelchair racing,

200 metres, 400 metres, and 1,500 metres,

wheelchair tennis, wheelchair basketball...

..wheelchair rugby, and a little bit of swimming.

I'm shattered!

Character, big character, er,

lots of laughs, lots of jokes,

lots of banter. Good for morale.

Most things would get a giggle out of Chris.

Chris puts in a strong performance on the tennis court,

but for him the Invictus Games is about more than just the sport.

It's just good to see all the boys again.

You feel kind of healed when you're here

because you're still having banter, giving the odd little dig,

stuff like this brings you all back together,

and then leave after the weekend

somewhat of a better person than when you came.

Hi, I'm helping!

LAUGHTER

These guys pushing me over, out of my chair, they think that's funny.

-It is.

-Yeah, just to watch me try and get off the floor.

-Yeah.

I mean, she throws herself on the floor anyway, why not help her?

So, it takes me, like, five minutes

to roll from my front to my back, so I get halfway there

and they just nudge me back onto my front,

because that's helping(!)

LAUGHTER

On the way home from the Warrior Games in America,

Chris provided some in-flight entertainment.

CHRIS GROWLS

Just shut the thing!

CHRIS ROARS

WOMAN SHRIEKS

LAUGHTER AND CLAPPING

If you don't look on the bright side of things,

you're just going to get yourself in a deeper hole so, the saying is,

"If you're not laughing, you're crying somewhere."

Everyone's crying somehow but if you laugh it off you can, er,

you can smile and carry on.

It's the final day of trials,

and Chris Jones is on his way to compete in the track cycling event.

He's brought his own trusty hand-built bike along with him.

Cycling was one of the most popular events in the last Invictus Games.

The large turnout this year means some stiff competition for places -

and some serious equipment on show.

Invictus gold medallist Paul Vice knows the wisdom of having

a good set of wheels.

When I first started training, I borrowed a bike from Headley Court,

it was, erm, well, I called it the Scaffold,

right, cos that's what it was, and it weighed 30 kilos,

it was an absolute beast.

And I was way off the pace, I was thinking, "Ohhh!"

So I took the plunge and did buy a high-performance bike,

and then the difference is huge.

If you just rock up on your Sunday morning, you know,

basket on the front, you're not going to do very well.

I think the bottom bracket's on its way out,

it's making a hell of a racket.

Chris has clocked up over 2,000 off-road kilometres

on his beloved bike,

and more than a few dents and bruises.

But this will be the first time he's used it at a track race.

..four, three, two, one, go!

I'm hoping that if I get selected and if I go to Orlando,

it will allow me to have a sense of peace,

being able to finish my relationship with the British military

on a positive note, with things a little calmer in here.

-BELL RINGS

-Last lap!

And it's only on the final lap that the leaders pull away from Chris.

-Amazing effort, Chris, amazing.

-Well done!

I was doing my damnedest,

but they lapped me literally just on that last...that final straight,

so, erm, yeah, it was a shame cos I would have liked to have

crossed the line on the same lap as them.

I couldn't have done any more than I did today.

BELL RINGS

With the hard graft and trials behind them, each of our

Invictus hopefuls now just has to write a personal statement...

..150 words explaining what the Invictus Games means to them.

The final decision of who will be on the plane to Orlando

is down to the Selection Committee.

They'll take into account the performance data from trials

but also how being selected for the team would benefit each individual.

It is a big day.

It's really important to us, as the panel, to do the athletes justice.

There's performance data,

which is how they performed in the trials, plus coach input,

and then there's the really important element of

their own personal statement,

and that carries considerable weight in our selection.

We have Jen Warren, 224.

Major Warren.

Her strongest suit is her wheelchair racing.

In her personal statement she really talks very powerfully

about not being defined by her disability.

"Sport enables me to channel my frustration into

"something more positive.

"My training has made me physically stronger,

"enabling me to look after my daughter more independently."

But Jen's got a lot of competing demands on her time.

Seems to have a lot on her plate.

We need to really think very, very hard about whether

she's being overloaded,

that might cause this to be a negative

rather than the positive experience that we want it to be.

-Who's next?

-Air Trooper Jones.

He obviously did OK in the cycling.

Is he the one that didn't have a new bike when he did the trials?

Yeah, that's right.

I'm impressed that he managed to survive the day

and get round the course on that bike, actually.

But we've got some strong cyclists.

Tennis.

Middleton was someone the coach was impressed with.

He was such a character.

Never stopped getting stuck into everything that was going on.

Great athletic ability, he goes off, not only plays well, but he also,

er, his energy's infectious and he inspires the rest of the team.

-Wheelchair basketball?

-Competition for the team's tough.

-It is.

We've now got Pearce to consider.

-She's come a long way in a couple of years, hasn't she?

-She has.

She was quite sort of lost, looking for a bit of a focus.

And fiercely competitive.

-I wouldn't like to get between Nerys and the ball, that's for sure.

-No.

But is she good enough?

She's got some attributes

which I think will certainly bring a lot to the team.

But as the coaches always told me, "You can't teach height,"

and so in terms of being a natural basketball player, erm,

she's going to struggle from the get-go.

Can she get up to speed in time?

OK, so, next up we've got Tom Stimpson.

He was one of the ones that seeing 2014 has brought him to us.

In terms of athletic ability, he's in the middle range of performance.

Definitely some potential for improvement,

but he's got a lot of work to do.

D'you want to pop the statement up?

-Oh, yeah, he's had a difficult year, hasn't he?

-Oh, yeah.

"I watched the 2014 Invictus Games

"that gave me the inspiration to go and try new sports.

"The Invictus Games will build more confidence, strength,

"and help with body image, coping with PTSD and seizures.

"But being able to wear a GB Team vest..."

Whoo!

Wow...

"GB Team vest..."

Cor, bloody hell, didn't expect that, erm...

"Being positive and having a smile is important with the team

"and supporting each other.

"It would make my wife and children proud.

"I've struggled feeling..."

"..feeling a failure."

Just thought my days of sport were finished, as you would, you know!

The Selection Committee has made their decision,

and each competitor has been on tenterhooks waiting for news.

It's been really difficult waiting,

and I've learned that I really am not as patient as I thought I was!

Hoping sometime today they'll put us out of our misery and let us know!

Nerys, hello, it's David Richmond from Help For Heroes.

Oh, hello, how are you, sir?

'We sat on the Selection Committee...'

..erm, and we considered 228 competitors,

and, er, I'm absolutely delighted to say, Nerys,

'that you are one of the selected 100.'

Thank you very much, sir. That's amazing, absolutely amazing.

-Oh, brilliant news.

-'Congratulations.'

PHONE RINGS

'Jen, it's Martin Colclough.'

-OK.

-'How are you?'

-Hmm, I'm bricking it.

I'm not sure how to tell you this but, erm...

'you are going to Orlando, you've been selected for the team.'

-SHE SQUEALS

-Yay!

Thank you!

Chris has had some good news and wants to share it with his family.

-You all right, mate?

-Hello!

-Congratulations!

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

-Well done, son.

-Thank you, Mam.

-Well done, buddy.

-Cheers, big man!

CHEERING

Does anyone want it, then?

-Give us the bottle!

-Cheers.

-Thank you.

-Well done, Chris.

-Cheers.

-Let's win some gold.

He's representing something that he believes in.

He was lost for two, three years,

and now he's got something to look forward to all the time,

something to aim for, so that, you know, that gives him

a sense of achievement and makes me feel so proud.

Every son wants to make their parents proud.

Knowing the fact that my parents are proud of me and they're

getting their little boy back who they raised in the right way...

I went down a slippery patch but they've got their little Chris back.

I'm not going to be happy if I don't come back with a medal,

but I'm competing, and it's the start of a new story,

a new chapter in my life, so bring it on.

Let's do it.

-NEWSREADER:

-'Prince Harry has named the British team that'll take part

'in the Invictus Games in Orlando.

'All the UK athletes came together for the first time today.'

Prince Harry has invited all the successful athletes

to Buckingham Palace.

Each individual has earned the right to wear their country's flag

on their chest once more.

Everyone's really excited cos now we can finally reveal that we're

going to be on the team.

Hang on, you should be in this.

D'you want me to take one for you? Go on, get in.

I've been telling my little girl that we're going to go to Orlando

in May, and she's like, "Orlando? Plane! Orlando!"

And it's like, "Yeah, you're going to go on a plane with Daddy!"

The last two successful athletes to join the celebrations are...

..Chris...

..and Tom.

-You should be proud of yourself.

-Yeah.

-You are, aren't you?

-I am proud but it...

it's only recently that you... be able to accept that.

You know, it's a massive, sort of difficult challenge inside here,

but once you do accept here and here,

that helps you in recovery, so I'm proud and it's great to be here.

I'm pleased to hear it.

Very happy to be here and glad I made the team.

Worth all that effort on that scaffold pole of a bike?

Although I like to think that maybe it got me a bit of a pity vote!

-When they formed up just now, I wanted to get up and march!

-Did you?

Yeah, I really did, I thought, "Oh, man, that's great!"

Given what you've all been through, how good a day is today?

It's the fact that we're all there

and we're all building each other up, you know,

pushing and encouraging each other to move forward in everything.

Being able to put this on, know what I mean? The shirt, the kit, the...

You know, we're fighting for the country again.

DOG BARKS

LAUGHTER

Where's your uniform?!

But no team is complete without a team photo.

-Hip-hip...

-ALL: Hooray!

-Hip-hip...

-ALL: Hooray!

-Hip-hip...

-ALL: Hooray!

When people are unhappy they use the expression, "What's the point?"

Because we all need to feel valued,

we need to feel we have some purpose in life.

Of course, these guys and girls,

when they were part of the military, knew what their purpose was.

They felt truly valued as a team.

And after serious injury they've had to rediscover that.

But you can see it in their eyes now, they do feel valued,

they genuinely feel it.

Why? Because they're on a mission once more,

a mission to bring back gold for the UK.

The Invictus Games, on BBC One, all next week.

Why not tune in and cheer these people on?