Eric Ham: How Olympic judo hopeful returned to action after rebounding from a bridge fall

Before the bridge fell, Ham had been targeting Team GB’s selection for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The athlete from Glossop, the market town on the north-west edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, was part of British Judo’s world-class performance program and had competed in both world and European championships during his senior career.

After nearly two years away and endless hours devoted to a rehabilitation program that evolved from allowing him to walk again to putting opponents to the mat, Ham made his first competitive appearance at the Oceania Open in November on Australia’s Gold Coast – where he won one of his three fights.

Training for the tournament and competing in the competition, despite all the pain and strain it sometimes put on his body, brought “mixed feelings” after such a physically and emotionally taxing road to recovery.

“The fighting, the throwing, the same things that cause all this hurt and pain, is exactly why you like to do it,” Ham said.

“The competition gave me a fresh start and a mental reset to continue with the rehabilitation. I tried to maintain the enjoyment of the sport, because that is often put in the back of your mind when you are performing at your peak.

“That was kind of the goal. My mother, father and girlfriend were there too, and that was special.

“The result wasn’t what I wanted, but what I could probably expect after two years away. I’ve done it now, put that behind me and I can get on with the rehab for my next one, which I’ll hopefully be in a better position for.”

Competing with the best in the world and aiming for a spot in the Olympics was where Ham took himself as an athlete before falling off that bridge.

And while he was carried away on a stretcher that day, he has managed to rise from the life-changing incident and climb back onto the judo mat to prove something to himself.

What comes next, Ham says, is as impossible to predict as anything he has already experienced.

“I’m still quite unsure about what the future holds,” he said.

“I will keep trying. Whether I will reach the same level, or hopefully a better level than before, is still unknown.

“I understand and appreciate the challenge before me, but we’ll see where that takes us.”