ROAD cyclist Jaco van Gass says he was never going to let pre-race nerves throw him off course as he claimed double gold at the first ever Invictus Games, presented by Jaguar Land Rover.

Van Gass, who was severely wounded by a rocket-propelled grenade while on his second tour of Afghanistan with the Parachute Regiment, was chosen to represent Great Britain in the cycling events at Lee Valley Velopark.

Though he was medically discharged in August 2012, van Gass is determined not to let his injuries hold him back.

He has completed several marathons, trekked to the North Pole, climbed Mount Manaslu and was only denied reaching the summit of Everest by adverse weather.

He turned his attentions to cycling on Saturday, taking victory first in the men’s IRB2 road bike time trial, before repeating the trick in the men’s circuit race.

Van Gass said: “It means a hell of a lot to get two golds. I’ve had a bit of a rocky year. I’ve suffered a lot of injuries and I really wanted a good result.

“I think sport fits in very well with Army life. You prepare for stuff before you are going on operations and it’s the same with sport. You have a focus for the event, you train for it, you execute it and then you go to the next one.”

The Invictus Games is an international sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service personnel, with more than 400 competitors from 13 nations taking part in nine sports across four days in London.

Van Gass’ injuries in Afghanistan included the loss of his left arm at the elbow, a collapsed left lung, shrapnel wounds to his left side, punctured internal organs, blast wounds to his upper thigh, a broken tibia and a fractured knee. It required him to undergo 11 operations and intense rehab.

Jaguar Land Rover is proud to be the presenting partner of the Invictus Games, the international sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick Service personnel. For more information visitwww.jaguar.com and www.landrover.com