An ex-serviceman competing in the Invictus Games has said he wants his story to show that “anyone can overcome” mental health issues.
Russell Hunt, 35, is “so excited” to represent Britain at The Hague after a decade battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and debilitating physical injuries caused by a blood infection.
The Londoner will compete in the cycling, indoor rowing and wheelchair rugby events at the Games, which begin tomorrow.
They were set up by Prince Harry in 2014 to aid the rehabilitation of injured military personnel and are now delivered by a partnership comprising of Help for Heroes, the Ministry of Defence and Royal British Legion.
Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are preparing to attend the Games in their first joint visit to Europe since stepping back from their working royal roles in 2020.
Mr Hunt grew up in Welling and joined the Navy aged 17, going on to become a leading hand. The father-of-two’s career was upended after he suffered blood poisoning while on deployment in South America in 2004 — leaving him with permanent muscle damage in both legs. He spent a month in a coma after returning to the UK for surgery and still relies on splints to walk.
In 2010, his life changed again after he was diagnosed with PTSD.
“I was having nightmares and had a very short temper,” he told the Standard. “I didn’t want to go out and socialise and when I did, I would drink to excess.”
Mr Hunt, who now lives in Gosport, contacted Help for Heroes’ hidden wounds service in 2018 for support with his mental health and threw himself into sports sessions organised by the charity. After attending trials in Sheffield, he was selected to compete with Team UK at The Hague in 2020 but was left distraught after the pandemic forced the event to be postponed.
“It was gutting,” he said. “We all had to take a moment to come to terms with it as we had just reached the end of the training journey when lockdown was announced.”
Though he feels proud to be competing after two cancellations, Mr Hunt admitted that he felt nervous about stepping up next week.
“I will probably never do anything like this in my life,” he said. “But I think we’ve got a great chance in wheelchair rugby and cycling — I want to get some personal bests.”
Mr Hunt’s wife Hayley, 35, and sons Logan, 16, and one-year-old Reid will cheer him on. He said their support would give him a “huge boost”.
“They’ve all been through a lot dealing with my physical and mental health,” he said. “To have them there will be amazing. I can’t wait for them to see my training come to fruition.”
Mr Hunt said he wanted to show that “help is out there” for people suffering from mental health issues.
“All you have to do is ask,” he said. “If I can start the road to recovery then anyone can.”
