Aust women display power at Invictus Games
Australian women have displayed their might at the Invictus Games, winning a silver and bronze medal at the powerlifting event.
On day three of the games, Australians Nicole Bradley and Alexia Vlahos lifted 70 and 68 kg respectively to secure the silver and bronze during the women's midweight powerlifting event.
But the medals are just a bonus for the veterans.
Bradley, who co-captains the Australian team, says she never expected to benefit so much from the games, in which sick or injured servicemen and women, and military veterans, compete in sports as an aid to their recovery.
"I didn't understand the value of it until I really started to get involved," Bradley told AAP on Tuesday.
"The idea of going out in the workforce again fills me with trepidation, trying to go for a job.
"It gives me the confidence that I can actually go through and that I've got something to offer, which was really hard to imagine for a long time there."
The 45-year-old served in the army for 22 years, working as a logistics officer in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.
After struggling with leg injuries and realising the impact of her and her partner's service on their children, she retired in 2015 to focus on her two children Darcie and Lachlan.
"I had a bit of anxiety but it wasn't crippling, it was just something that was stopping me from doing stuff
"I didn't really understand how much of a block it was until I started doing this," Bradley said.
For Vlahos, the bronze medal was "just the icing on the cake".
"To be honest, the experience of being here means more than any medal," she said.
The 24-year-old says she lost herself, and is still trying to figure out her identity, when she was medically discharged from the army in May this year after only serving for four years.
"I have a lot of emotion about that ... I feel like I failed," she said.
The West Australian woman says her identity has always been tied to her athleticism, but now she can't even join her friends for a night out.
Living with constant injuries, leading to five knee surgeries, including two reconstructions, plunged the veteran into depression.
"[The games] have been great. It just takes your mind off everything," she said.
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