A FORMER RAF aviation mechanic is set to compete at the Invictus Games.

Clare Keating, from Middlesbrough, is part of Team UK at the event which is aimed at wounded, injured and sick military personnel and veterans.

It is set to get underway in The Hague, in the Netherlands, on Saturday.

Clare, who is going blind as a result of a degenerative eye condition called Punctate Inner Choroidopathy, will be competing in the powerlifting and rowing events.  

The Team UK competitors – 91 per cent will be competing at their first Invictus Games – were originally selected in October 2019.

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When the pandemic hit, it was shifted to 2021, but uncertainty forced a second postponement and the event will now take place from 16 to 22 April.

Clare, 41, said: “I have a purpose and a goal that I’m trying to achieve. I realised at the Invictus Games UK Trials that my disability does not define me. It is just a small part of who I am. My prognosis isn’t good, but this has taught me that life goes on.”

At the Invictus Games she will be competing against athletes from across the world in front of her husband, Jim, and children Isobel, nine, and Samuel, six.

“I have a fire in my belly. I am fitter, stronger and more confident than I have been for a long time and I want to continue to see where this takes me,” explained Clare who completed a triathlon with Help for Heroes and sings in the charity’s choir.

“The prognosis of the condition is probably within five years to ten years I'll be completely blind. I think the realisation that this was going to be long-term happened when I developed the condition in my right eye, in my good eye. Then you kind of think, at the time I didn't have children, but you think, I'm not going to see my daughter when she gets married, I might not see my first grandchild, how am I going to dress myself, how do I provide for my family, what kind of example do I set for my children.

“That's when the realisation of this is a life-changing condition, that's when it actually hits home and that's when you kind of think, right we can go one of two ways. We can get really down, we can get really sad, or we can get up, and we can get on with this,” added Clare who now lives in Dorset.

Competitors kept their fitness and spirits up during multiple lockdowns, by altering their routines to take on virtual training online, as well as getting back outdoors where restrictions allowed.

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Having not seen each other in person since the start of 2020, the team, along with coaches and support staff, attended the first post-lockdown Invictus UK training camp, in November, and have continued to join weekend camps, provided by Help for Heroes.

Help for Heroes’ Hannah Lawton, who is chef de mission for Team UK, said: “The journey to an Invictus Games is always massive for every single competitor as they learn to adapt to life-changing injuries and illnesses, and manage daily struggles, before even getting to the point of applying to compete. None of us imagined that Team UK would have the added challenge of a pandemic and – by the time they get to The Hague – a delay of two years.

“These competitors are well-versed in taking on challenges though and I’m so proud of the commitment they’ve shown to the team, whether that’s in keeping up with training virtually, supporting their teammates or recognising when they need to step back and take a break.”

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