James Cairns, an Army veteran from Holmfieth, West Yorkshire proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Hannah Wild, during the opening of the Team UK wheelchair basketball match in Vancouver on Sunday.
Gatekeepers News reports that the 35-year-old athlete described the proposal as his “gold medal moment”.
He celebrated their engagement with his teammates, friends, and their two-year-old son.
Cairns who lost his leg to a sniper bullet in Afghanistan revealed that it took months of planning to keep the secret.
The athlete competes in multiple events at the games, including the biathlon, swimming events, and wheelchair basketball.
The seventh edition of the Invictus Games, founded by the Duke of Sussex in 2014, began in Vancouver on Saturday. The Duke attended the opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony featured performances by star-studded line-up of performers including Nelly Furtado, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and Katy Perry.
More than 500 competitors from 23 nations will take part in the games, which will end on 16 February.
According ti the Royal British Legion; the games aim to “inspire recovery, support rehabilitation, and generate a wider understanding and respect for those who have served their country.”
