Before the bridge fall, Ham had been targeting Team GB selection for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The athlete from Glossop, the market town on the northwestern edge of the Derbyshire Peak District, was part of British Judo’s world-class performance programme and had competed at both world and European championships during his senior career.
After nearly two years out, and endless hours dedicated to a rehab programme that evolved from having him walking again to laying opponents out on the mat, Ham made his first competitive appearance in November’s Oceania Open on Australia’s Gold Coast – where he won one of his three fights.
Training for the tournament and battling in competition, for all the agony and strain it put on his body at times, brought “mixed feeling” after such a physically and emotionally taxing road to recovery.
“The fighting, the throwing, the same things that causes all this pain and agony is the exact reason why you love doing it,” Ham said.
“The competition gave me a fresh start and a mental reset to continue with the rehab. I tried to keep the fun of the sport, because that often gets put to the back of your mind when you get to high performance.
“That was kind of the goal. My mum, dad and girlfriend were out there as well, and that was special.
“The result wasn’t what I wanted, but what I could probably expect after having two years out. I’ve done it now, put that behind me and I can carry on the rehab for my next one, which hopefully I’ll be in a better position for.”
Competing with the world’s best and aiming for a place at the Olympics was where Ham got himself to as an athlete before he plunged from that bridge.
And while he was carried away on a stretcher that day, he has managed to rise from the life-altering incident and climb back on to the judo mat to prove something to himself.
What comes next, Ham says, is just as impossible to predict as all he has been through already.
“I’m still pretty uncertain what the future holds,” he said.
“I’m going to keep trying. Whether I get to the same level or, hopefully, a better level than I was before is still unknown.
“I understand and appreciate the challenge I’ve got ahead of me, but we’ll see where we can get with it.”
