A FORMER soldier diagnosed with osteoarthritis says a sport has ‘saved his life’ as he looks to take part in his third Invictus Games.

Gavin Watson, 35, from Andover, took up archery amid suffering from mental and physical injuries, and became a dab hand with a bow.

Within a couple of years, and thanks to a Help for Heroes recovery programme, he was selected for the inaugural Invictus Games in London, winning a gold medal in the team archery event and then in 2016 he took part in the Warrior Games at West Point, New York, where he won a team gold medal, and an individual silver.

Gavin’s success came after battling with crippling pains in his hips caused by the arthritis he was diagnosed with at the age of 25. In 2012 he was forced to undergo a double hip replacement.

Gavin said: “It was a very difficult time. I had a career and had started an Army diving course and it was all ended by my condition.

“I wasn’t able to recover from my injuries or take part in the things I loved.”

Now an IT advisor, the 35-year-old will look to book a place in this year’s Invictus Games next month, but while he is determined to force his way into the team, Gavin is keen to highlight what is seen by some to be a hidden wound – mental health.

He said: “I have struggled with depression and anxiety. I try not to focus on it because I know people who have fully fledged post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I am not fully cured but I feel I have it under control; you will have some bad days and sad days, but there is always something you can do.

“Taking up archery has helped me and keeps me focused.”