Golden boy Kevin still in dreamland
Ex-Perth High pupil tells of joy in Toronto
Kevin Drake is reflecting on a memorable experience at the Invictus Games in Canada.
The former Perth High School pupil was part of a 90-strong team of wounded, injured and sick (WIS) military personnel and veterans selected to represent the UK.
And he produced an ace performance in Toronto to fulfil his ambition of winning wheelchair doubles gold at tennis.
Kevin and partner Alex Krol held their nerve to record a 6-4 final victory against New Zealand pair Glenn Barnes and Aaron Gibbs.
“It was a great match, we expected the Kiwis to give us a tough contest,” said Kevin, who grew up in Perth but now lives in Shrewsbury.
“We progressed to the final without losing a game. However, we knew the final was going to be a lot tougher.
“One of the Kiwi players was a former paralympian so we knew it wouldn’t be a walkover.
“In the final game of the match we were on match point when they played a shot that was long by about a foot, so I left it but the umpire called it in.
“My partner then had to compose himself as he was serving again on another match point. This time there was no uncertainty and we had won the gold medal.
“The crowd were tremendous. We had a large contingent of British supporters who were made up from the friends and family that had travelled out with the team.
“There were also a lot of supporters who had made the journey from throughout the world to come and support us on.
“The local Torontarians could not have been more welcoming and supportive of the entire games.
“We were ecstatic as all the hard work had paid off.”
Kevin, an army sergeant who was seriously injured in Afghanistan in 2013 and had his left leg amputated last year, also enjoyed success in the wheelchair basketball. The UK’s squad defeated Denmark 25-14 to win bronze and Kevin said: “Once we arrived in Toronto the basketball team’s morale was extremely high, and we believed that we could get gold.
“We won all our group matches convincingly. But in the semi-final match against Netherlands we couldn’t get into the match and lost to the better team.
“In the final USA played Netherlands in a world-class game and the USA narrowly won the match. However, it was the right two teams in the final and we couldn’t have rivalled them. It has shown where we need to improve for next year.”
Competing in the Invictus Games has provided Kevin with a big boost and now he is looking forward to a well-deserved rest.
He said: “It was a surreal experience and I had no idea how big the games would be.
“I watched last year’s games on the TV and didn’t appreciate the scale of the whole event.
“It was an honour and privilege to have the Union Flag on my chest and represent the UK again.
“I am definitely in a better place in myself since attending the games as I have been in some
Kevin Drake (right) proudly displays his medal with partner Alex Krol very dark places over the last four and a half years. This has without doubt been a massive tool in my recovery process.
“I am now having a few weeks off as I need to rest my body but I’m going to start training next month in preparation for next year’s games.
“I plan to go to Sydney and defend my title, if i get picked of course.”
We were ecstatic as all the hard work had paid off