Erica Claims Medal in Debut at 2013 Warrior Games

Former RAF reservist Erica Vey has triumphed in her debut appearance at the Warrior Games 2013, the US military's Paralympic style competition for wounded service members.

2013-06-13

LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND, June 13, 2013 (Press-News.org) Erica took bronze in the discus and only narrowly missed out on further medals when she came fourth in both the shot putt and pistol-shooting competitions.

She competed as part a 30-strong UK team funded by Help for Heroes and the Fisher House Foundation and enjoyed additional support from by Fish Insurance who provided her with free disabled travel insurance.

The games, hosted at the U.S. Olympic Training Centre and the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, attracted around 260 athletes, all wounded or injured service personnel from the US military and Britain's Armed Forces. They also attracted Prince Harry who helped light the Paralympic torch and met many of the competitors, including Erica.

Erica was injured in 2007 when the service aircraft she was flying in had to complete an emergency evasive manoeuvre. Serious leg and ankle injuries required major surgery resulting in her becoming an amputee.

Undeterred she soon took up wheelchair basketball with London team Force before retiring from the sport fearing injury as she focused on her Paralympic shooting with Team GB.

Commenting from her home in Letchworth, Hertfordshire, Erica, who also represented Help for Heroes during the London Paralympics closing ceremony, commented: "I felt really privileged to represent the UK and compete in such a prestigious competition. It was an amazing experience. I can't thank Help For Heroes enough. Not only did they fund the whole team but they've been a lifesaver for me personally. Their facilities and staff at their recovery centre at Tedworth House are fantastic, out of this world."

In addition Erica expressed gratitude to Fish, whose wheelchair insurance she has used for over four years, for ensuring she had appropriate travel cover whilst in the US. "The event organisers had a group insurance policy which would not have covered my wheelchair or pre-existing medical conditions. I was going to buy Fish's specialist disability travel insurance anyway because it offered exactly the protection I needed, but when the managing director, John Garrard, heard my story he stepped in and met the bill. It was a fantastic gesture for which I'm extremely grateful.

"Knowing that Fish were able to provide cover for my pre-existing conditions was crucial. It enabled me to relax and focus on the travelling and then competing in the games. I knew that they would be able to help me because they really do cater for the disabled customer."

With the Warrior Games now over Erica is now concentrating on forthcoming UK shooting competitions and training in a bid to be selected to represent her country again. She's also watching on to see if a suggestion Prince Harry made to her becomes reality. "Prince Harry spoke quite a bit about his hope that the Warrior Games could be brought to Britain. If we could host the games, or an event like them, that would be fantastic," she enthused.

That sentiment was echoed by John Garrard who said: "The London Paralympics were such a tremendous success that it seems a natural progression, and indeed it would be a fantastic legacy, were the UK to hold another major paralympian event. Not only do we have great facilities but also fantastic athletes like Erica who commit so much energy and time to their training so that they become world-class competitors. I'm with Prince Harry - let's do it!"

Fish Insurance can be found online at https://www.fishinsurance.co.uk

Fish Insurance is a division of Fish Administration Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It has forged strategic relationships with key underwriters for whom it operates under binding authority. The company also designs its own schemes, issues policies and manages claims handling. It has over 70,000 policyholders with disabilities or limited mobility who benefit from a portfolio which spans protection for users of direct payments and other personalised budget schemes and cover for manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs, mobility scooters, in-home products such as stair lifts and hoists, wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and disabled drivers and carers.

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Erica Claims Medal in Debut at 2013 Warrior Games

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