AN RAF veteran who lost part of her leg in a training flight was cheered on by Prince Harry at a sporting event.

Letchworth GC resident Erica Vey has returned from America with a bronze medal after competing as a special guest in the 2013 Warrior Games.

Prince Harry was among those spurring her on, with the royal making the visit to continue the Paralympic legacy.

Competing at her first games, Erica was awarded a bronze medal in discus and came in fourth for shot put and pistol shooting.

She missed out on a bronze medal in the shot put by less than 2cm and again in pistol by 0.8 of a point on the last shot, but was still thrilled with her achievement.

She said: “I feel really privileged to have been selected to represent the UK and to have had the opportunity to compete at such a prestigious event.

“It was an amazing experience and I will continue training in a bid to reselected again in 2014.”

Erica, who served with the RAF Reserves, was injured in 2007 when the service aircraft she was in had to take evasive action as an emergency procedure.

She became an amputee in 2011.

The Warrior Games, held this year in Colorado Springs, is a competitive paralympic sporting event for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, hosted by the US Olympic Committee (USOC).

This year, about 260 wounded and injured servicemen and women and veterans competed in seven sports.