The Invictus Games is the sporting event that brings an incredible community of people together and has been characterised by its inspirational moments, and the sportsmanship and comradery amongst the athletes.
There have been so many stand-out moments from the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney, but one of the most memorable happened yesterday at the Track and Field when USA competitor Mike Kacer gave one of his silver medals to a young girl in the crowd.
Eight-year-old Jemma, an arm amputee, had been in the stands all day cheering on the athletes when Kacer spotted after coming second in his race. When Kacer spoke to Jemma, she told him about her dreams of becoming a Paralympic swimmer and how much fun it’s been for her to watch someone with a disability compete so well.
Speaking about the conversation with Jemma, Kacer said, “This is the whole purpose of Invictus Games, it’s about trying to reach out and inspire people to be a better person.” That’s when the four times Invictus Games competitor decided to invite Jemma onto the podium with him and present her with his silver medal.
Kacer said, “She expressed how she wanted to be a Paralympic swimmer and that was one of her main goals in life, and I thought why not give her her first medal and let her have an experience of a lifetime that hopefully, she’ll never forget.”
Dylan Alcott, an Australian tennis pro and one of the commentator’s of the Invictus Games, spoke about how much the moment meant for sport and the community.
“I get a bit emotional seeing that because I never had that. Seeing someone that’s similar to you, and you can see the look on her face, she didn’t care they had one arm they were just people that were succeeding in what they do, it’s beautiful.”
Watch all the other incredible moments from the Invictus Games on ABC iview.
