A Nottingham PE teacher who was seriously injured during the war in Afghanistan is back in the classroom after winning gold and silver medals at the recent Invictus Games.
Michael Westwell was part of the UK team of wounded, sick and injured armed service personnel and veterans who competed at the games in the US city of Orlando last month.
A total of 15 countries took part in 12 different sporting events. Mr Westwell won gold in the cycling time trial event and silver in the road cycling race.
As well as competing in the rowing and the Jaguar Land Rover driver challenge, he also took part in the opening ceremony and spoke to Michelle Obama, George W Bush and Prince Harry, who created the Invictus Games in 2014.
Mr Westwell, 36, joined the RAF in 2000 as a weapons systems operator on Nimrod MR2 aircraft. While serving in Afghanistan he helped to train Prince Harry.
Mr Westwell was injured during a reconnaissance mission over Afghanistan in 2006 and was medically discharged from the RAF in 2011.
A former aircrew sergeant, Mr Westwell suffered the prolapse of two discs in his neck which caused severe pain, temporary paralysis of his left arm and muscle wastage of the upper body.
He is now training as a PE teacher as part of the Troops To Teachers programme and is due to graduate in four weeks’ time.
He has worked at Nottingham Academy since 2012 and will take up a new post as a PE and maths teacher at Garibaldi College in Mansfield in the autumn term.
Role-model: Michael Westwell pictured at the 2016 Invictus Games with its founder Prince Harry
The staff and pupils at Nottingham Academy are hugely proud of Mr Westwell’s achievements at the Invictus Games.
He has given assemblies to years 7, 8, 9 and 10 at the school and to local primary schools, talking about his personal story and the importance of determination, resilience and maintaining a positive attitude.
Mr Westwell, a former RAF cycling and triathlon champion, combines teaching and studying with an impressive cycling regime. In the lead-up to the Invictus Games he cycled between 150 and 450 miles every week.
“The pinnacle at the Invictus Games is a gold medal, but it’s more about using sport as a tool for rehabilitation of both physical and psychological injuries and overcoming these in the face of adversity,” explained Mr Westwell.
He continued: “I loved flying and was hugely disappointed to come out of the military. But I’ve always loved sport and hopefully as a teacher I can inspire the next generation.”
Mr Westwell is also a coach of Football 4 Peace (F4P), a scheme that uses sport to build cultural bridges and promote co-existence in conflict-torn communities around the world.
He added: “Seeing and motivating others to physically and mentally challenge themselves and come out feeling better as a person is what drives me on when it starts to get tough.”