Latest news with #Shenton
BBC News
22-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Biddulph veteran achieves long-held Invictus Games dream
When he was lying in a hospital bed in 2020 with a fractured skull and broken neck, Rob Shenton might have thought his dream of competing in the Invictus Games was years later the army veteran from Biddulph, Staffordshire, has returned from Canada after taking part in this year's games, a special sporting competition for people injured when serving in the armed 52-year-old came 19th in the Nordic Skiing event and achieved a personal best in the indoor while he seemed pleased with his performance, he told BBC Radio Stoke he was struck by the "outstanding" camaraderie among competitors from all nations. "We've all been united by something that's happened to us and normally that's trauma of some sort but we're all being healed on the recovery journey that we're on," he said."At the end of the day, we were all service personnel, we've all had our own battles and we're all getting through them." Mr Shenton was in the British Army for 25 years, serving in Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan, before he was medically discharged due to suffering with depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).He applied in 2018 to be on Team UK in the Invictus Games but was unsuccessful, as he was on the next two 2020, he was injured in a cycling accident breaking six vertebrae and fracturing his spent eight months recovering, with help from staff at the Royal Stoke University Hospital, returning to training shortly afterwards before he was accepted onto Team UK at the fourth time of asking. Despite finding it difficult to compete against the younger athletes, Mr Shenton said he had to appreciate just how far he had come, describing it as "part of the journey".He accepted he would probably never be in the army again, despite saying he would give up everything to put on the uniform now, he said he would continue to focus on his work as a civil servant and on improving himself physically and next Invictus Games take place in Birmingham in 2027. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Invictus Games: Eastleigh veteran 'elated' to compete
A former army serviceman who broke his neck and back in a bike accident four years ago has said he is "elated" to be competing in the Invictus Games. Rob Shenton, from Eastleigh in Hampshire, will complete in Nordic skiing and indoor rowing after successfully applying to the UK team on his fourth attempt. He spent 25 years in the army before being discharged on mental health grounds after suffering from recurrent depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Invictus Games, a multi-sport competition for wounded or sick military personnel and veterans, begins on 8 February in Whistler, Canada. Mr Shenton is no stranger to athletic feats, having previous run the Marathon des Sables, the Everest Marathon and North Pole Marathon to raise funds for charity and he was also a Queens Commonwealth Baton Relay runner for first applied to be on Team UK for 2018 Invictus Games but was unsuccessful, as he was on two further attempts. Whilst Mr Shenton continued to train and apply to the Games, in August 2020 he was seriously injured in a bike accident, fracturing his skull and breaking six vertebrae. It took him about eight months to recover from his injuries - a process helped by his training as he continued to work towards a place in Team UK."My training improved the mobility I have in my back. It's given me that confidence in myself and in my abilities again," he said. Asked for his reaction when he found out he had made the squad for 2025, Mr Shenton said: "'Crikey - I've got to learn to Nordic ski', because I'd never done it in my life."But I was elated. My wife was probably more emotional than I was about it. "There were a lot of people contacting me to say I deserved it." 'I just wanted to push myself' Mr Shenton said he was attracted to Nordic skiing and rowing because of how difficult they were "I thought 'I'll give that a go'", he said "I just wanted to push myself that little bit further".While he completed a few days ski training in Norway in December, he has primarily been training on roller skis. "By the time I'm on the start line with 'United Kingdom' written on my back I've already won. But I'm going to aim for personal bests", he added the Invictus Games gave him and other competitors "purpose after life in the armed forces"."It's a chance for us to bond and to come together... but also for us to realise there's something beyond military service." Mr Shenton said it was a "shock" to leave the military when he was discharged, and his poor mental health after leaving the army impacted his ability to participate in sport: "You lose part of your identity when you take off that uniform."It has always been a part of my life, but once I was medically discharged it almost stopped. "Invictus gave me that purpose again."Asked what message he had for anyone attempting something similar who had experienced difficult circumstances, Mr Shenton said: "Keep going."It's always going to be difficult, you're always going to hit those dark places. Keep going, ask for support and be kind to yourself." You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
