Ainsley Hooker, Sean Barry bring home haul of medals from Warrior Games
A Townsville RAAF corporal and a Giru army veteran have returned from the Warrior Games in the US, bringing home medals and a renewed sense of purpose to inspire others on their rehabilitation journeys.
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A RAAF corporal from Townsville and an army Veteran now living in Giru have returned from the Warrior Games in Florida with both medals and inspiration to encourage others on their rehabilitation journeys.
The Warrior Games is an annual adaptive sports competition hosted by the US Department of Defence that bring together hundreds of wounded, injured and ill serving and former-serving service members from the US military, along with a team of 30 Australian competitors.
Archery wasn’t originally Townsville’s Corporal Sean Barry’s planned road to rehabilitation.
Looking for a sport that was easier on the body after being plagued with a back injury from serving 17 years and counting in the Air Force and Air Force Reserves, the corporal joined a local archery club last year in Wagga Wagga, where he is currently posted.
At the games, Barry competed in Wheelchair rugby, standing, shooting air rifle and archery and gained silver and bronze medals in individual and team archery.
He said it was an amazing experience.
“There were was obviously a lot of pretty broken and battered humans, and they all somewhere along the journey from injury to what life is like now because you never never fully recover.”
Barry is already thinking about competing in other Veteran competitions.
I’m looking towards Invictus beginning of next year and possibly back to Warrior Games in 26.”
North Queensland’s Ainsley Hooker came home from last year’s Invictus Games in Düsseldorf with a slew of medals, but it was the first time she has competed at the Warrior Games, where she got a bronze for both shot put and discus.
She also found the Warrior Games incredible and very friendly and her biggest takeaway was that despite injuries – everyone was having fun.
“There was a large amount of people with injuries and mental health issues, and everyone’s still coming together, competing having a great time. It was just incredible.”
In 2007, Ms Hooker sustained a bad ankle injury. Following failed surgeries, she was left with chronic pain and a dying, twisted foot and ankle. After 13 years of torment, she made the decision to amputate.
Ultimately, the move proved freeing, and enabled her to return to sport.
While at last year’s Invictus Games, she met other Veterans who had similar injuries, and that experience has helped her on her rehabilitation journey.
“Meeting these other competitors that had the same stories, you know, a same injury to leg and the result was a below-the-knee amputee and realising that what I’ve been through is similar to others,” she said.
“If they can do it, I can do it. You see it and you push through it, and you go, well, that’s not slowing them down. Why should it slow me.”
She said competing at both the Invictus and Warrior Games made her feel more empowered, and she encouraged other Veterans to give it a go.
“I have been and will continue to continue to encourage other serving and ex-serving who think that, you know, they’re done. To give this a shot.
“You come home, even your friends and family that go with, you come home and go, wow that was incredible. What more can I do?”
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Originally published as Ainsley Hooker, Sean Barry bring home haul of medals from Warrior Games
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