Article written by Allan McSween and Pat Cornell
Ealing, Southall and Middlesex sprinter Allan McSween won gold in the 100m and 200m and bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay at the Invictus Games held in Dusseldorf in September 2023. His wins in the 100 and 200 were quite comfortable after very easy wins in the heats of both events.
The Invictus Games is a multi international sporting event held every two years. It was founded by the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry in 2014. Through the power of sports The Invictus Games support recovery and rehabilitation of participating servicemen and women.
Allan Mc Sween joined the British Army in 2008 and served for seven years before being medically discharged in 2015. It was while on his second tour of Afghanistan in 2013 after an incident involving an IED explosion with his warrior tank that Allan began to get a recurring pain which made walking painful. Months later, an MRI scan revealed he had a damaged right pelvis, Despite a damaged pelvis bone Allan rediscovered his passion for athletics and joined Thames Valley Harriers in 2018. He competed three seasons with TVH before needing surgery to his right hip. After missing three consecutive seasons recovering from a major hip operation and learning to walk again, he joined Ealing Southall and Middlesex Athletics club to begin his preparations for the games under the watchful eyes of coach Pat Cornell.
“Training at Perivale has been great”, Allan says “There was a mixture of young talented athletes to push me every step of the way of my preparation”. Allan competed regularly in Southern League matches and later went on to win silver in 200m at the British Masters Outdoor Championship as part of his build up to the Invictus Games.