Prince Harry’s Invictus Games have helped one injured veteran find a new purpose after a life-changing accident. Jonny Ball now faces one of his biggest challenges yet: running a marathon in Kenya. The former British soldier said the experience has helped him rebuild his confidence and connect with other veterans. He also hopes his journey will show his two young daughters that they can achieve more than they imagine.
Prince Harry’s Invictus Games inspires veteran Jonny Ball to tackle Kenya marathon
In an interview with PEOPLE, Ball explained how the Invictus Games encouraged him to keep challenging himself after a motorbike accident severely injured his leg. Doctors told him he would never run again and would always walk with a limp. However, he has since taken on endurance events, competitive snowboarding and indoor rowing. “This is a way of saying to my little girls, ‘You can try, and anything is possible,’” he said.
Ball joined 25 other veterans from nine additional countries in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley for the marathon and community projects. He won bronze in powerlifting at the 2023 Invictus Games in Düsseldorf, Germany. The event also gave him a chance to introduce Harry to his wife, Lydia, and their eldest daughter, who was 3 at the time. Ball recalled showing Harry a photo of his redheaded daughter, which reminded the prince of his own daughter, Princess Lilibet.
“He laughed and saw the expression and said, ‘Oh, my little girl does that face as well,’” Ball recalled. He said Harry then crouched down to speak with his wife and daughter. “They were the only people who mattered to Harry at that moment,” Ball said, adding that he would never forget their interaction. He praised Harry for helping veterans build connections with the public through sport, saying, “He has helped create empathy, not sympathy.”
Ball left the British Army in 2019 after 22 years because of his injury. He said sport has helped him manage PTSD and anxiety, rebuild his self-belief and discover what he calls “post-traumatic growth.” He plans to complete the Kenya marathon on Oct. 10, which falls on World Mental Health Day. “I might walk it or crawl it, but I am going to do it! It’s not a race. It’s a personal achievement,” he told PEOPLE.
