Eric Hamm: How an Olympic judoka got back into action after breaking his back in a bridge fall

Before the bridge fell, Hamm was targeting selection for Britain’s squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The athlete from Glossop, a market town on the north-western edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, was part of British Judo’s World Performance Programme, and has competed in the World and European Championships during his senior career.

After nearly two years out, and long hours dedicated to a rehabilitation program that progressed from getting him walking again to putting competitors on the mat, Hamm made his debut at the Oceania Open in November on the Gold Coast, Australia – where he won one of his three fights.

Training for the championship and fighting in the competition, despite all the pain and stress his body went through at times, brought a “mixed feeling” after such a physically and emotionally exhausting road to recovery.

“Fighting and throwing, the same things that cause all that pain and suffering are the exact reason you love doing it,” Hamm said.

“Competing gave me a fresh start and reset my mind to continue the rehab process. I tried to keep the sport fun, because that is often put to the back of your mind when you reach high performance.

“That was kind of the goal. My mom, dad and my girlfriend were there too, so that was special.”

“The result was not what I wanted, but what I could probably expect after being out for two years. Now I’ve done it, put it behind me and I can continue to rehabilitate for the next stage, which I hope I’ll be in a better position for.”

Competing with the best in the world and striving for a spot in the Olympics was where Hamm was as an athlete before he fell off that bridge.

While he was carried on a stretcher that day, he was able to rise from the life-changing accident and get back on the judo mat to prove something to himself.

Hamm says what comes next is as impossible to predict as everything he’s already been through.

“I’m still not sure what the future holds,” he said.

“I will keep trying. It is still unknown whether I will reach the same level or, I hope, a better level than I was before.

“I understand and appreciate the challenge I have in front of me, but we will see where we can take it.”