Invictus Games: Round-up of day three with rowing taking centre stage
Team UK added to their collection of medals on day three of the Invictus Games as Ben Gallagher brought home another gold medal for his country.
The former Royal Signals soldier, who was wounded during active duty in 2019, triumphed in the four-minute indoor rowing endurance race by reaching 1,275m to claim first place.
During the seventh round of rowing, Chris Anslow and Morgan Dally claimed second and third place respectively.
British Army Veteran, Ben Gallagher told Forces News: "Through coming to the Invictus Games, it's given me that spark again, I encourage anyone who's feeling down or low or having a difficult moment to go explore a new sport".
Later, in a special moment that embodied the Invictus Games spirit, Royal Navy Veteran Kenetha 'Frankie' Franklyn was walked out by the full Team UK rowing team to take on the Women's IR4 One Minute Sprint.
The cheers from the Merkur Spiel-Arena centre stage full of Team UK flying the union jack pushed her to a silver medal, after reaching 240m.
Twenty-six rowers represented their country on Team UK, and a number of them, including captain James Rogers, would also compete in wheelchair basketball.
Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex is on her way to join her husband at the Games which are now in full swing in Düsseldorf.
Meghan is travelling from the Sussexes' home in California to the German city, where Harry launched the sporting event for wounded military personnel and veterans on Saturday night.
The couple famously appeared in public together for the first time at the Toronto Invictus Games in 2017, pictured hand in hand at a wheelchair tennis event.
It is likely that Meghan's mother Doria Ragland is looking after the Sussexes' young children Archie and Lilibet at their home in Montecito, California.
Harry was pictured earlier on Tuesday sharing a joke with TV presenter and Invictus Games medallist JJ Chalmers during the wheelchair basketball competition, after taking part in some "seat dancing".
On Monday, Harry, the founding patron of the Invictus Games, warmly embraced a wheelchair rugby player by kissing him on the head.
He watched matches in an eight-team wheelchair rugby knockout tournament, then presented medals and spoke to players after Team USA defeated the United Kingdom 21-13 in the final.
His attendance at the Games comes after a brief visit to the UK, where he joined the WellChild Awards and visited St George’s Chapel in Windsor on the anniversary of the death of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Fifty-nine competitors were selected to represent Team UK at the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023.
The team is made up of veterans and serving personnel from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event that was launched in 2014 by the Duke of Sussex.
The adaptive event is aimed at wounded, injured or sick Armed Forces personnel and veterans, and it takes its name from the Latin word 'Invictus', meaning 'unconquered' or 'undefeated'.
Forces News will be bringing you all the latest news from the Invictus Games throughout the week.
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