Indoor rowing and fond farewells took centre stage on the final day of Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025.
Before the 550 competitors and supporting loved ones witnessed entertainment from Jelly Roll, Barenaked Ladies and The War and Treaty at the event's Closing Ceremony, they had the most intense event to get through: indoor rowing.
Team Australia competitor Adam Jackson saved the best for last, giving it all in the four-minute endurance event early in the day, then moving on to the one-minute sprint a few hours later, in front of his biggest supporters; wife Kate and daughters Maddy and Layla.
"My family means the world to me," he said. "To have that support is awesome.
"My brother died in November so this is for him, as well."
The unassuming former Australian Army Avionics Technician picked up a gold medal in both events, despite battling a respiratory illness.
"A lot of the team are sick, me included," the 43-year-old said.
"So the first race I gave everything to, the second race was a lot harder but I just held my pace and got there.
"I was coughing for about half an hour after the four-minute race and slowly settled down with some cough lollies."
Not only did he pick up some bling, Adam also beat his four-minute Australian record by 2m, attributing the personal best to the strength of the crowd's cheering.
'My brother died in November so this is for him, as well.'
It was a successful event for many of the Aussies, with many giving their best under the watchful eye of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Games Patron Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Partly because of that fanfare and glitz, Adam said he was initially reluctant to apply for the Games.
"When you see it on TV, for want of a better word, it looks fluffy," he said. "But they're serious competitors here, it isn't just a free-for-all.
"There are proper people here and they're racing with their hearts.
"Everyone's got their own problems and we all come together as a team under that Invictus banner to represent our countries and diseases, our sicknesses, our injuries, to perform and recover.
"It's pretty amazing to be a part of."
Reflecting on the team's performance, head coach Major Lyle Dahms said the team performed exceptionally over the last week.
"It's not just the number of medals that have been won, it's not about the medals, individual performances have exceeded their own and other people's expectations," he said.
"The team should be really proud of what it's achieved, they've come a long way in the last 6 months, not just in terms of their sporting performance, but as a team.
"There is no greater example than the way they performed in the team sports.
"I think a lot of countries were really surprised about how competitive we were in wheelchair rugby, wheelchair basketball, and sitting volleyball."
Major Dahms hopes sport will continue to form an important part of competitors rehabilitation and recovery.
"Invictus Games is not the end, it's just a step on the pathway to recovery," he said.
"We will be catching up with the team in a few months time to focus on where to head next and how to keep involved and continue to use sport for recovery."
The 23 teams from around the globe got together for one final time at the closing ceremony at Vancouver's Rogers Arena, where competitors were farewelled with Canadian flair.
Team Australia now head back to the Australian summer aboard a Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A.
