Invictus swimmer's incredible show of support for teammate

A former Royal Marine competing at the Invictus Games has produced an incredible act of support for a teammate, turning back to encourage her every stroke of the way.

In what became a recurring theme from the first day of the swimming competition, UK pair Poppy Pawsey and Sarah Robinson may not have won the race, but they sure did steal the show with their sportsmanship.

Pawsey finished her swim in 37.35 seconds to qualify eighth overall, and despite her fatigued state, she promptly swam back down the pool to support Robinson over the remaining 25 metres.

“That’s what it is all about here. I am so, so proud of her,” Pawsey told Invictus Games media.

“I really wanted to be there for team mates like Sarah who have not swum before and who are very nervous.”

As the pair made their way from the pool following the heat, the shared a beautiful embrace with tears and all.

“It was just much better than I expected,” Robinson, a 41-year-old Army Sergeant, said.

Robinson finished 23rd overall on the day, clocking up a time of 1:13.26 in the Women’s 50m ISD Freestyle event, and had Pawsey to thank for helping her overcome her anxiety.

“Poppy has given me so much advice and been so helpful. Recently down at UK Training Headquarters she told me to not to worry and just swim my own race,” she said.

“I was so worried I would come last and be letting people down. I get so scared in the water. You don’t know how huge this is for me.”

Invictus athlete sings to teammate distressed by sounds of helicopter

The Invictus Games has witnessed an incredible moment of mateship after one athlete was left visibly distressed by the sounds of an overhead helicopter.

UK wheelchair tennis player Paul Guest was competing alongside Dutchman Edwin Vermetten when the emotional moment occurred on Monday.

Guest was about to serve when the sounds of a helicopter flying over the Sydney Olympic Park Tennis Centre brought back some painful memories.

Guest toured Northern Ireland as a mine warfare specialist, before his career came to an end in 1987 when he was injured on duty.

He suffered neck and spinal injuries, which resulted in partial deafness and a visibility impairment.

So when Guest heard the helicopter fly past on Monday, he broke down.

But teammate Vermetten, who only met Guest a few weeks ago, rushed to Guest’s side to comfort him.

Vermetten embraced his teammate, linking arms with Guest and offering some words of encouragement, bringing a number of spectators to tears.

After a long embrace, Guest managed to regroup and deliver the match-winning serve for a 7-5 5-7 (11-9 tiebreak) victory.

When asked about the moment after the match, Vermetten revealed he used the help of Disney to calm his teammate down.

“I took him by the face and said ‘Look at me. We are a team so let it go,” said Vermetten.

“Look into my eyes and sing the ‘Frozen’ song, and we did.

“For him, this was the moment he let go, and he did, he literally let it all go.”

Later, Aussies Samantha Gould and Jamie Tanner enjoyed a comfortable 6-3 6-1 win over Vanessa Bawden-Pere and Julie Bramley from New Zealand.