'I don't know where I'd be without Invictus Games'

Liz Lee says the Invictus Games are "such an amazing thing"

"I don't know where I'd be right now or who I'd be right now if it wasn't for the Invictus Games."

These are the words of Liz Lee, who is preparing to take part in the competition for the second time.

The 36-year-old has fibromyalgia, a disorder that causes widespread pain and fatigue.

She will represent Team UK - funded by the Royal British Legion - at the games, which begin in Vancouver on 8 February, and will compete in snowboarding, indoor rowing and wheelchair basketball.

Ms Lee joined the RAF in 2006 as a ground mechanic, but was medically discharged in 2018 after picking up a knee injury.

"I really struggled in that period trying to find out who I was outside of the forces and I had a lot of issues with my health and I became very unfit," she said.

But she kept going and sport became a lifeline for her, and she went on to try out for the games after seeing an email about them.

The Invictus Games were founded in 2014 by the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, after visiting the Warrior Games in Colorado and seeing its impact on injured US military personnel.

She said: "I went along to the training camps, didn't think I'd get in and then one day I got an email saying you're in.

"I had to read that email so many times before I believed it was true and that was for the 2023 games and it honestly changed my life."

Ms Lee went on to compete in the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf and returned home with a bronze and a silver medal.

But she says the games are about "much more than just the medals".

"My world has grown so much, my confidence, my self-esteem, my health - I am a different person to the person who started this journey," Ms Lee said.

Angela Holland, a combat medical technician, will compete in the games for the first time

Angela Holland, who has been a reservist in the armed forces for 21 years, will also be participating in the games.

The 46-year-old, from Ilkeston in Derbyshire, will compete in wheelchair curling, indoor rowing, and biathlon, which combines skiing and shooting.

Ms Holland, who has arthritis in her knees, was "really surprised" when she found out she had been selected.

"I thought it was just for veterans and people that had lost limbs or that had deployed and suffered with PTSD, things like that," she said.

Ms Holland said that while winning a medal "would be great", taking part in the games for the first time meant much more to her.

"I've had so many amazing moments that are award-winning to me," she added.

"It's not just about training and the hard work that gets put in, it's about the friendships and the comradeship and just the laughs that we have."