11 September 2023
The first day of competition at Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 had the athletics track and field, powerlifting and wheelchair rugby heating up – literally and metaphorically.
On a hot and humid German day, it was all about mate helping mate as the Aussie contingent displayed the heart and humanity of the games.
For Flight Sergeant Nathan King, it was a big day on both the track and field.
Competing in the men’s IF1 shotput and IF1 discus throw, it was a move he pulled on the finishing line of his IT2 100m final race that showed who he really was.
Crossing the line, he saw his French competitor in the neighbouring lane trying to stop from falling awkwardly. Despite his efforts, the runner took a tumble but was quickly pulled to his feet by the humble Aussie team co-captain.
“You see that sort of thing on any stage around here, but I think that’s just me in general life; you’re always going to help someone up,” Flight Sergeant King said.
“That cements what life should be. It’s all about camaraderie and I think we embrace that in the Aussie spirit. It’s normal, it’s nothing outstanding. It’s just what we do.”
The run itself was also impressive, with the two-time Invictus competitor improving his 100m time by five seconds since his only other timed run, at team selection camp last October. But it was some special people in the stands and back home who inspired Flight Sergeant King to move outside his comfort zone on the athletics field.
“From my injury, I can’t really run and at the last games there was a British athlete, Lisa Johnson, who had a post-race interview, saying that her kids had never seen her run. I thought, well, if I get a second chance at the games, I’ve got to give it a go,” he said.
The first day of competition was also an inspirational day on the track for the women, with two gold-medal performances and a moment that will be etched in the heart of Invictus.
In the women’s IT8 100m final, Karney Armstrong and Ainsley Hooker were the first Australian women to race in any sort of race chair. It was a particularly proud moment for Ms Armstrong, who took out the gold medal.
“The last person to be in a race chair from Australia was my partner, Matt [Brumby], at the 2018 games in Sydney. He won gold in every race,” she said.
“He’s the one who taught me. I flew from WA to Adelaide and spent three weeks with him, teaching me up and down the road, and that’s all the training I’ve had.”
The race finished with a touching moment as Team Australia equipment manager Pete Rudland and Team UK competitor Clare Gibson supported Team Jordan’s Rola Amro across the line in a borrowed race chair.
It was the first time the Jordanian had raced and a moment she is sure to never forget.
Ainsley also found success on the field on day one of competition, taking out the women’s IF5 discus final with a throw of 15.60m in a field of only Australian and US competitors.
Verity Sanchez also showed her determination on the track, finishing the punishing women’s IT7 1500m final with time of 8 minutes 8.71 seconds, cheered on by family and teammates from the stands.
Meanwhile, Australia’s powerlifting team also gave its all at Merkur Spiel-Arena.
'It was liberating to know I could find the inner strength to lift what I didn’t think I ever could lift.'
The team of nine competitors strongly contested various categories, showing the grit and determination that earmarks Invictus.
In the first event of the day, the women’s IP1-IP2-IP4 event, Francine Dudfield made a clean sweep of her three attempts, consecutively lifting 67kg, 73kg and 78kg to win the gold medal.
Able Seaman Taryn Dickens picked up a third-place medal with a lift of 64kg, while Laura Reynell and Brooke Mead impressed with lifts of 55kg, earning them fifth and sixth place respectively.
Laura said she felt “nice and strong”.
“It was liberating to know I could find the inner strength to lift what I didn’t think I ever could lift. Plus my personal fear of training in front of people is gone now, so that’s a PB, I guess,” she said.
Australian powerlifting captain Erin Brigden took out the gold in the highly competitive women’s IP3-IP5 event with a lift of 82kg, dominating against 11 other competitors.
In the men’s events, Michael pipped Kurt Ludke’s valiant 150kg lift by 1kg to gain a third-place podium finish in the IP8 group, a feat echoed by Stephen Lockwood in the IP10 event with a lift of 140kg, while Daniel King lifted a solid 115kg to finish fourth in his IP9 event.
Australia’s wheelchair rugby team started the day out with a 13-4 loss against Team USA before bouncing back to beat the Kiwis 13-9. The Wheeling Diggers’ final match of the day resulted in a 17-6 win over Canada.
Meet the Australian Team at www.defence.gov.au/invictusgames or follow on Facebook.
