Ashford's Invictus Games medal winner inspires more to get active

KentOnline / KMTV

Johnny Ball tells us about his impressive journey, from an accident that led to a leg reconstruction all the way to his win at the Invictus Games in Dusseldorf.

Transcript

00:00 Ashford's very own Johnny Ball joined the army at age 17, where he served in the Princess

00:05 of Wales Royal Regiment. As a member of the Intelligence Corps Reserves, Johnny served

00:10 as a military linguist in Afghanistan.

00:13 But in 2019, Johnny's life would never be the same again. After being involved in a

00:18 severe motorcycle accident, he nearly lost his lower leg. It meant he had to undergo

00:23 seven rounds of surgeries to save the limb and create a functioning foot.

00:29 During the trauma, Johnny suffered years of physical and mental recovery.

00:34 But things took a major turn for Johnny when he discovered his love for sport.

00:39 Sport has been key to my recovery, to get a bit of me back, piece by piece. So when

00:44 the opportunity came up with the Royal British Legion to apply for the Invictus Games, I'd

00:49 been inspired by so many athletes before me and I just thought, why not? Let's give it

00:55 a go.

00:56 Finding out that he would eventually become part of Team UK at this year's Invictus Games,

01:00 Johnny says he was speechless. But he wouldn't be competing in just one event. In fact, the

01:05 week long of para-athletic action would be a three pronged mission for Johnny. Taking

01:10 part in powerlifting, captaining Team UK's indoor rowing team and going in for two cycling

01:16 competitions.

01:18 Documenting his journey on his Instagram, things would only get better for Johnny as

01:22 on the first day of competition, he took home a bronze medal in the powerlifting.

01:26 It means the world to me and shows you what you can do. And what I'd say is if you're

01:34 struggling physically and mentally, let sport be your recovery and maybe, just maybe, you

01:41 can come here and do something as amazing as this. Thank you everyone that supported

01:45 me on this. It's been amazing.

01:48 Now returning home to the UK with his family, Johnny continues to speak out and represent

01:54 service men and women and now looks towards the next step in his sporting story.

02:00 Well I was lucky enough to speak with Johnny earlier today. I started by asking him how

02:04 he's adjusting to life back in the county now that the Games are over.

02:08 A lot quieter, a lot of time for reflection too. So I'm certainly missing my 59 teammates

02:14 from Team UK as well as the 21 other nations that we got to meet during the whole experience.

02:21 So a tinge of sadness from that but also a bit of relief as well from what's been an

02:27 enormous amount of hard work over the last few months.

02:30 And it must have been incredible to meet so many athletes and service men and women and

02:34 ex-service men and women from across the globe. I know at the very end, I was looking at your

02:38 Instagram today, you managed to do a jersey swap with Team New Zealand. Tell me a bit

02:43 about that.

02:45 It's a fantastic, unexpected part of Invictus. And after the closing ceremony, we converge

02:51 as this community of Invictus. And this tradition starts up, which is about swapping jerseys

02:57 with other nations. And of course, we've got loads of Team UK stash. I'm very proud of

03:02 the union flag on my chest on this particular shirt. But it was an opportunity for us to

03:09 reinforce those relationships with other nations by the simple act of exchanging a jersey.

03:15 So I've got a pair of Ukrainian jogging bottoms, a New Zealand all black shirt. I've got my

03:21 wife's got an American, Polish. I've got Danish, a German vest, a French T-shirt, the list

03:28 goes on. And these are the little mementos behind these exchanges of relationships and

03:33 friendships that we forged together as an Invictus family. And behind those exchanges

03:38 are conversations, intimate conversations I've had with individual athletes as well.

03:43 So I'll cherish those for the rest of my life, as well as not needing to buy any more gym

03:47 kit.

03:48 And of course, we've been hearing about the incredible journey that brought you there in

03:51 the first place. How has this sort of changed your life, being able to pick up sport and

03:56 go into these sort of week-long events? I mean, you took on three sports in it. How

04:01 has this changed your life?

04:04 It's not just changed my life. It's saved my life. And going from operational tours

04:09 with our county regiment, the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment, from a young age at

04:13 18 to later rejoining the Intelligence Corps in my early thirties and deploying on operations

04:19 in Afghanistan, you kind of prepare yourself for the worst day. The worst day didn't come

04:24 for me. I've experienced lots of loss from friends and people that have suffered life-changing

04:28 injuries. You don't really expect something to happen to you in your day-to-day life when

04:32 I had my motorcycle accident back in 2019. So from there, I had to rebuild my life. I

04:39 had to learn how to walk again. I had to deal with the challenges of a mental health injury

04:44 and sport came along at the right time and enabled me to achieve the impossible. What

04:49 medical professionals told me I wouldn't be able to do again, things that I'd previously

04:53 enjoyed. So by getting back into sport, not only has it given me an enormous amount of

05:00 enjoyment and comradeship through things like Invictus, but it's helped me become a better

05:06 person and realise that what is possible is there before us if you just take the opportunities

05:11 available to you.

05:12 I mean, it is incredible the effect that sport can have on individuals and also working within

05:17 a team as well. Now, I mentioned those three sports that you took part in, weightlifting,

05:22 indoor rowing and cycling. Why these three?

05:26 I think the gateway drug, as it were, into sport was CrossFit and CrossFit is a sport

05:30 that encapsulates all of those disciplines. It's really an accessible sport, no matter

05:35 what level you have. Indeed, in my local CrossFit gym, I've worked out with people that have

05:40 come back from childbirth, suffered cancer or kidney transplants or elite athletes. And

05:46 we've all been there as a community. And through CrossFit, I was able to get back on a rowing

05:50 machine again because I wasn't able to run due to the nature of my lower limb injury.

05:55 I was then able to safely get back on a indoor bike. Understandably, I had a bit of anxiety

06:00 getting back out on the road on two wheels again, having suffered a motorcycle accident.

06:04 And I was also able to start lifting weights again with guidance and control, understanding

06:09 how my body works after seven surgeries. So having a coach there every step of the way.

06:14 And through that, I just started to reignite this passion for sport. So when I'd heard

06:19 about the Royal British Legion, we're looking after Team UK this year for the Invictus Games,

06:25 I thought, why not me? I had the confidence, I had the skills because all the work that

06:30 I'd done getting back on my feet through sport. And this gave me the opportunity and the outlet

06:35 to achieve my dreams. And of course, you came away with a medal as well. I mean, we've heard

06:40 from the emotion that you had just after on that video on your Instagram that you posted.

06:44 How have you sort of reflected on that now? And especially being back home with your family?

06:49 Did you mention a medal? I've actually got it here with me now. I'll just show you as

06:56 well. But the medal itself is really a symbol. And that is a symbol of all of the support,

07:04 the love and the amazing part of the NHS that has put me back together again. The mental

07:10 health support I've had through Op Courage, the NHS mental health provision, and the love

07:15 for my family. This medal is a symbol of all of that. And also my own perseverance and

07:21 the ability to overcome adversity as well. So I didn't go into the games hunting down

07:26 medals, medals and personal bests are really the byproduct of the effort you put in. And

07:32 it's an environment where people are judged not by the end result, but by the effort that

07:37 they put in. And that's what I like about the Invictus. But to walk away from a medal

07:41 and to stand up there on a stage, the world stage with the union flag draped over my shoulders,

07:47 looking right across at my little girl and my wife staring back at me, this medal is

07:52 absolutely for them as a thank you for standing by me over the last four years of a difficult

07:57 recovery. Well, Johnny, thank you very much for joining us today and sharing your story

08:02 with us. I'd love to follow whatever comes next for you. And there's plenty more stories

08:06 I'm sure you can tell. But I must say your Instagram and the way you've been following

08:10 it and the way you've been covering it yourself there, I do encourage people to go and have

08:14 a look at that. Johnny, thank you for joining us and I hope to speak with you soon.

08:19 Thank you. And remembering Kent, Invicta, Invictus, unconquered. It's in the spirit

08:24 of us from Kent.

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