It has been 10 years of the Invictus Games and in that time there have been three Paralympic Games held. In 2016 there was Rio, Tokyo 2020 and nor Paris 2024. And as the Paralympic Games in Paris truly get under way, the Invictus Games have already seen two of their athletes win medals.
There are actually eight Paralympic athletes who are part of the Invictus Games community, although one of the athletes has not been a part of a team for the Invictus Games as of yet (he is an active member of the community itself though). And as of day two of the games, there have already been two Invictus Games athletes who have won medals.
Up first we have Jaco van Gass. We actually wrote about his gold medal win for Team GB in the C3 3000m Para Cycling Track individual pursuit event because a week prior to the games beginning there was some doubt as to whether he would be able to compete after being hit by a car while training. But what we learned after finding out that he is an Invictus Games athlete is that prior to the creation of those games, he was a member of an expedition alongside Prince Harry that completed a march to the South Pole in 2013. That expedition was in benefit of the Walking with the Wounded charitable organization, and they were able to raise a donation of £1.5 million.
Invictus Games athletes have already medaled at the Paralympic Games in Paris as of day 2
The second Invictus Games athlete to win not one but three medals at the Paralympic Games is actually the U.S.'s Ellie Marks. Marks has won three silver medals in the pool.
Her three medals are from the Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay 20pts, the Women's 200m medley SM6, and the Women's 50m freestyle S6. Ellie Marks has actually made a bit of a name for herself as part of the Invictus Games because she, "famously asked Prince Harry to send the gold medal she won in swimming at Orlando 2016 to Papworth Hospital to thank them for saving her life," after she missed out on the inaugural games due to a lung condition that nearly killed her, but was helped by the Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire, UK.
Both of these athletes have done some impressive things, both at the Invictus Games, the Paralympics, and in life. And we applaud them for all of their hard work so far at these games. Here's hoping that more Invictus Games athletes end up with medals at the Paralympics.