29th July 2014

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Usain Bolt today met Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games powerlifter and Invictus Games hopeful Micky Yule ahead of his para-sport battle on home turf this Saturday.

The 35-year-old from Musselburgh, who is vying to bolster Scotland’s record Commonwealth Games medal haul, was a staff sergeant serving with the Royal Engineers in 2010 when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) which resulted in the loss of both his legs. Since the incident, Yule has bounced back from life-changing injuries and some 40 operations.

Micky is one of the ‘wounded warriors’ hoping to compete in this September’s Invictus Games presented by Jaguar Land Rover. This international sports event for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel launched by Prince Harry is coming to London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 10-14 September.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry met Yule as part of their official visit to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Yule, a former member of the British Army weightlifting team, set himself the target of returning to the sport after a Paralympic open day at Headley Court, the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre near Leatherhead in Surrey. He arrived there having been in an induced coma for six days and two weeks in intensive care. Now he hopes his performance in Glasgow – and that at the Invictus Games later this year – will inspire others who are just starting on their own journey of recovery.

Invictus is Latin for unconquered, a word that embodies the fighting spirit of wounded, injured and sick Servicemen and women and what they can achieve, post-injury. The Invictus Games are a unique chance for the public to celebrate this ‘invictus spirit’ through sporting achievement. More than 400 competitors, serving and veteran and from 14 nations, will compete in nine adaptive sports in venues made famous by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Invictus Games are being organised with the support and backing of The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and the Ministry of Defence. Launched by Prince Harry earlier this year, the event will use the power of sport to inspire recovery, support rehabilitation and generate a wider understanding and respect of those who serve their country.

Tickets for are on sale at www.invictusgames.org and cost £12.85 per person.