Highlights of the first official day of Invictus Games

The Invictus Games officially begin The first full official day of the Invictus Games kicked off today and Prince Harry was there to cheer on the partipants.

The first full day of competition at the Invictus Games in Toronto saw plenty of action as the track and field events took centre stage.

The Invictus Games is a week-long competition for injured and ill members of the armed forces. More than 550 competitors from 17 countries are in Toronto for the event this week.

The track and field events began Sunday at the York Lions Stadium where Invictus Games founder Prince Harry spent a couple hours meeting with participants and watching the competition.

In the men’s IF5 shotput, American Anthony Pone emerged as gold medalist with a throw of 11.4 metres, while Canadian David Desjardins finished in 15th with a throw of 7.43 metres.

Canada’s Bruce Matthews took the silver in men’s IF4 shotput. Canadian Kevin Nanson was the runner-up in men’s IF6 shotput.

The men’s IT4 100-metre went to American Ivan Sears while Canadian Kevin Nanson finished in sixth.

Canada’s Michael Clarke won gold in the men’s IT5 400-metre. He also placed second in the men’s IT5 200-metre, and took the bronze in the men’s IT5 100-metre.

The athletics events continue Monday.

Sunday marked the second day in the wheelchair tennis competition. Both Canadian teams have two matches remaining to secure their spot in Monday’s medal round.

Before the opening ceremony on Saturday, the Netherlands grabbed the first gold medal of the week at the driving challenge. Teams from the United Kingdom and Denmark rounded out the medalists.

Prince Harry also attended the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Gold Award Ceremony at the Fairmont Royal York on Sunday. The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Gold Award encourages young people aged 14-24 to set their own goals and challenges and recognizes them once the goals are achieved.