Invictus Games closing ceremony remembers the exceptional moments
The Dutch veteran who brought onlookers to tears by consoling his opponent after a helicopter flew overhead and triggered his PTSD has been honoured at the Invictus Games closing ceremony.
Key points:
- Prince Harry spoke about the importance of mental health
- The Duchess of Sussex recounted her own experience visiting troops, before she met her husband
- Kiwi George Nepata was honoured with a haka, performed by his teammates
Edwin Vermetten was awarded the Above and Beyond award for his heartwarming, and musical, gesture to comfort Britain's Paul Guest during a tennis match this week.
The sound of a helicopter caused Guest's PTSD to resurface, leaving him unable to play on, so Vermetten raced to his side to offer support by singing Let it Go from the movie Frozen.
After accepting the award tonight, Vermetten and Guest had an emotional embrace, holding each other tight, while the audience of 12,000 sang the same song in tribute.
Prince Harry then addressed the crowd at the Sydney Super Dome and commended Vermetten himself.
"We saw what mateship really looks like," the Duke of Sussex said.
The Duke said Australia had made the games their own by creating a "typically Aussie atmosphere" and reminded the world that the competitors were just ordinary people doing the extraordinary and it was not only veterans who should be inspired by Invictus.
"It doesn't matter who you are, you can identify something in your own life that you want to change for the better."
Prince Harry stressed that the success of the games came down to the competitors showing the world it was OK not to be OK, and that asking for help was the best thing you could do.
"It's courageous, and will improve the life of yours and those around you."
"I've been there, you've been there, and we now need to reach out to those who can never imagine themselves in this place."
The crowd was captivated as the Duchess of Sussex spoke of how this week she has been reminded of a trip she took before meeting Prince Harry to visit troops deployed from the UK, Afghanistan and several other countries.
"I was given a glimpse of the lives of those who serve and I felt the palpable longing for family and friends by those deployed.
"Once home I saw the need for that anchor of support from loved ones is immeasurable."
Meghan then gave a special mention to US competitor Ryan Novak, who suffered a spinal injury and walked again despite doctor's expectations.
"At the finish line in sailing he literally jumped into our boat … with dexterity and ease by the way, to give both of us a hug," the Duchess said.
Another competitor acknowledged at the ceremony was George Nepata from New Zealand who was the first tetraplegic to compete at Invictus.
During a wheelchair rugby match between New Zealand and Australia, Nepata was handed the ball by the green and gold side and pushed over the goal line as a gesture of respect for his efforts.
He played every minute of every game for his team due to a competitor drop-out.
The Kiwi team rose to their feet and performed the Haka to congratulate Nepata.
The 500 competitors from 18 nations have entered the Sydney Super Dome to roaring cheers and a standing ovation from the crowd and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also been spotted on the big screen, drawing gasps from the audience.
All competitors received medallions as they entered the ceremony, given by Olympic champions Ian Thorpe and Anna Meares and the Governors-General of Australia and NSW.
For those competitors unable to hold their medallions while on crutches, officials placed the medallions in their pockets.
The audience went wild for Colin Hay from Men at Work, who performed the unofficial Australian anthem, Down Under, and used their phones as lanterns while Australian band Birds of Tokyo performed.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Sydney was incredibly proud to be the third Invictus host and said "we hope to host you all again".
"May you travel back safely to your homes knowing you have inspired millions around the world."
'Invictus spirit' more important than winning
It has been obvious all week that big wins were not what the competitors were here for — they were just a bonus — it was the famous "Invictus spirit" that everyone was talking about.
For retired staff sergeant Sebastiana Lopez from the US Air Force, the act of giving her medal away to two Australian children meant more than receiving it.
"I met these two little girls at the restaurant before I did discus," she said.
"They were so excited, so happy, said 'oh my god we saw you on the tele … we're your biggest fans'."
The girls waited five hours for Lopez to throw and for their support, they were rewarded in a huge way.
"Giving them my gold medal was a standout moment for me."
Former Australian commando Garry Robinson could not go past the unbelievable moment when UK triple amputee Mark Ormrod learnt breast stroke in less than an hour so Robinson had an entrant to compete against.
Ormrod said he "figured out" the stroke in the warm-up pool so the crowd had a race.
"He inspires me," Robinson said.
"Since that moment we have become even better friends."
Pa Modou Njie, who served in the UK army, said his favourite part of being here was witnessing how much another team had improved in volleyball.
"For me it was the Jordanian team and seeing how far they had come along," he said.
"They've really gelled as a team … they were a lot better this year and played a really good game.
"That was special to me."
And for Sonya Newman, who is still serving in the Australian Army, it was a thoughtful gesture from Olympian Ian Thorpe that made her games.
"My favourite moment was when Ian Thorpe grabbed my kids from the crowd and brought them down to the medal presentation so they were there for me accepting gold in the 50-metre backstroke."
"Honestly, you can't get a better moment than that. I will remember it forever."
Invictus Games partner organisations will now begin a variety of initiatives aimed at veterans' well-being, including some targeting education access, adaptive sport, employment, and awareness programs for schools.
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