RAF welfare officer from Newport wins two medals at the Invictus Games in Canada
An RAF welfare officer from Newport has won two medals at the Invictus Games in Canada.
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Joanne Lynch claimed two silver medals in the women’s indoor rowing event during the final day of action at the games in Vancouver yesterday (February 16).
The 46-year-old earned silver in both the women's four minute endurance and women's one minute sprint event - almost 12 years to the day since a traumatic experience in Scotland which changed her life forever.
The international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women - both serving and veterans - came to a close on Sunday.
Joanne, who was competing in the Invictus Games for the first time, represented Team UK alongside Rik Francis from Albrighton, and Mike Evans, now based in Lincolnshire but hailing from Telford, at the games.
Originally from Northern Ireland, Joanne joined the RAF aged 19, following in the military footsteps of her brother who was in the Royal Marines.
She has had a varied 26-year-long career in people operations, and delivered welfare services for more than seven years.
The Royal British Legion said Joanne "champions creating positive recovery pathways and is proud of supporting people who are in similar situations to her".
But, the 46-year-old found herself on her own recovery journey after attending a winter skills course in the Cairngorms in Scotland in 2013.
She and her team got caught in an avalanche on February 14 and Joanne described having to "run to stay alive".
Three people lost their lives that day, and Joanne has dealt with PTSD and post traumatic growth ever since.
But, 12 years later, Joanne showcased her incredible strength, perseverance, and dedication to win her two silver medals which she will bring home to Shropshire in the next few days.
Joanne previously described representing Team UK at the Invictus Games as a "brilliant final chapter" of her military career.
Speaking about her approach to her recovery journey, she said: "You don’t walk away from something that can kill you and think 'you know what, let’s pretend that didn’t happen'.
"I changed as a person as a result of this, it was a real 360 shake up for living."
