MPCT OLYMPICS

STARS OF THE INVICTUS GAMES SUPPORT MILITARY PREPARATION COLLEGE STUDENTS

Our Virtual Award Ceremony on the 7th August 2020 will host Invictus athletes as medal givers.

Awards will be given to 1st  2nd & 3rd from Blue, Red and Green for each event, 1st  2nd & 3rd for Staff and the Top three highest performing colleges overall.

Mark “Dot” Perkins

Former Royal Signals Corporal Mark (Dot) Perkins

Former Royal Signals Corporal Mark (Dot) Perkins, proud Cornishman who is currently living in Cardiff, is using the Invictus Games to improve his overall wellbeing and inspire those he works with that there is still life and success after injury. “Invictus has given me focus to look after my injuries and physical wellbeing, and I guess most importantly, myself in general. After four years of intensive rehab I just lost my way, putting on weight and becoming more deconditioned and no motivation .” This Army veteran who was discharged in 2005 now works as a civil servant rehabilitating injured soldiers. But Mark struggled to follow his own advice until the Invictus Games came along. “I have struggled previously to practice what I preach until last year where I set myself a goal to be selected and compete in the 2017 Invictus Games. Now, having accomplished this first goal I have become inspired to continue and hopefully offer support to other injured veterans to follow this path.

Ali Jawad

British Paralympic powerlifter

Ali Jawad is a British powerlifter who competes in the -59kg class. Originally born in Lebanon, Ali’s talent for powerlifting was discovered back in 2005 when he was just 16 years old. On the eve of his Paralympic debut in Beijing, Ali fell ill. He still competed, finishing ninth, but he was later diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. After finishing fourth at the London 2012 Paralympics and narrowly missing out on a medal, Ali continued to work hard and was rewarded with his first gold medal and world record at the Asian Open Championships in Kuala Lumpur, followed by another gold and world record at the 2014 IPC World Championships in Dubai, lifting 190kg. In 2015 Ali’s winning run continued, winning another gold medal in the -65kg class at the IPC Powerlifting European Championships in Eger, Hungary, to ensure that he was selected to Paralympics GB as reigning World and European Champion. Competing in his third Games at Rio 2016, Ali won his first ever Paralympic medal after securing silver in the men’s -59kg category, lifting a best of 190kg to finish second. Gold went to Egypt’s Sherif Osman who set a Paralympic record of 203kg with China’s Yang Quanxi taking bronze with 176kg.

Martin Tye

Army Veteran

Army Veteran Martin Tye’s injury has had a negative effect on his mental health and as a result, after leaving the military, he pushed his friends and family away. He will compete in six of the eleven sports on offer: rowing, wheelchair rugby, powerlifting, athletics, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball. Martin said: “Invictus has given me the confidence to meet and make new friends which is bringing me out of my depressed state. I’m finding my sense of humour again and enjoying life. It has given me goals to work for to better myself and it has also given me the confidence to join clubs to carry on with the sports outside of Invictus.”

Rachel Williamson

RAF Veteran

In her teens, RAF Veteran, Rachel, narrowly missed out on being selected for the Commonwealth Games, but since suffering a life-changing injury, she stopped doing anything sport-related out of fear that she had lost the athlete she once was. After rediscovering her love for sport at Help for Heroes’ SportsFest in Nottingham in early 2017, Rachel opened a new chapter of her life. She is learning how to adapt through sports and has found a passion for helping others in similar situations. She said: “I have decided now is the time to go for this opportunity to show my new ability, set a personal milestone and be proud that I can do this for the UK. I want to represent the UK team in these games and continue this progression to bring back my personality. During this journey, Rachel has already made new friends, who support her dreams of one day representing Team GB at Olympic level. “With new motivation and family support I will turn all aspects of my life around. I will not quit no matter how hard the fight is and with this opportunity I can show what I am capable of and the team spirit I have in my heart.”