Another Silver For NZDF At Invictus Games
13 May 2016
Another Silver For NZDF At Invictus Games
Glenn Barnes and David Sherriff faced off against the British wheelchair tennis team today earning silver for the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) team competing at the 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida.
Glenn, a former New Zealand Army soldier living in Christchurch, and David, from Auckland, who works for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, were both left paraplegic after separate private vehicle accidents. The silver win was bitter-sweet for both men as their eyes were set firmly on gold.
David, who had only been playing wheelchair tennis for a few months prior to the 2016 games, said, "I would have liked to have pushed further for Glenn - who has been coaching me, for the rest of the team, and our supporters and sponsors.
"It was awesome to make the finals after such a short amount of time. I couldn't have got here without his coaching and support."
Glenn, already a medal-winning wheelchair tennis Paralympian said, "this experience will refocus our training for future games. We really want bragging rights against the British team who won today. This will add fuel to the fire for when we face off in Canada at Invictus 2017."
Glenn was complimentary of his teammate’s skill, saying that David's growth has been outstanding.
"I've been playing for around 17 years now. For David to play at this level after only a few months is incredible to be part of. I have so much respect for a guy who has only been hitting for about four months, hats off to him."
"He deserves this win. Anyone who has to put up with me deserves a medal," he said.
David, a wheelchair basketball coach in his own right, has one goal for the next Invictus Games scheduled to take place in Toronto, Canada, in September 2017.
"It's got to be gold," he said.
Today is the final day of competition. Over the four days the NZDF team won a total of nine medals across the sports they contested.
The team was sponsored by the Auckland RSA and Christchurch Memorial RSA, Fulton Hogan, BLK Sport, the OffLimits Trust and The Fallen Heroes Trust.
Further information about the NZDF team and their journey can be found at Facebook.com/InvictusGamesNZ
Cheered on by a Kiwi crowd, David Sherriff (Left) and Glenn Barnes with their silver medals for wheelchair tennis at the Invictus Games 2016, in Orlando, Florida.
ENDS