BRAVEHEART WARD AND AN OLYMPIC VISION BORNE OF COURAGE

Errol D’Cruz

When he was hit in the eye in a 2019 Olympic qualifier against Malaysia in London, Sam Ward’s hockey future looked bleak.

The talented forward was left with impaired vision after a teammate shot the ball which shattered his eye socket. It caused seven facial fractures and a torn retina. Major surgery left four metal plates and 31 screws to support his face.

Eighteen months later, Ward took the pitch against Germany in the FIH Pro League at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London on Wednesday (May 12). The 30-year-old wore a face mask to protect his left eye which was damaged irreversibly.

He endured painful surgery and psychological trauma and his presence on the pitch was a celebration of courage, determination and spirit. The last thing Ward wanted to do was quit hockey. Most would have.

Last year, he made an amazing return to club hockey, scoring a late goal for his club Old Georgians in his first match after the horrendous injury, four months after the mishap!

He kept his spirits up during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic with a hilarious way to help accept the postponement of the Olympics with his creation of “Isolation Olympics” at his home in Maidenhead, videos of which he posted on social media.

With unrelenting focus and determination, Ward earned a place in the Great Britain squad for the FIH Pro League. Great Britain won the doubleheader handsomely and that was a befitting welcome back into the fold for Ward. The icing on the cake would have been a goal he almost scored in the first match. He went very close, rattling the crosspiece. In the second he paved way for the one.

Ward, who has scored 72 goals in 128 international matches for England and Great Britain, was deprived of participating in the 2018 World Cup in Bhubaneswar by the concussion protocol and the jinx seemed to have struck again on the third day of November with Olympic qualification beckoning.

If the Tokyo Olympics are held (in July-August) and Ward makes the squad, it would be a truly incredible comeback from a seemingly hopeless situation and would be a reward for optimism, hard training and courage.

It brings to mind the stirring story of Ties Kruize, the Dutch legend. In 1975, the libero in the monumental 1973 World Cup triumph at home in Amstelveen, was critically injured in a car crash.

His comeback was nothing short of miraculous. His thigh was crushed and his forehead had smashed into the dashboard. The doctors used bone from his hip supported by a metal plate and 10 screws to repair the damage.

Kruize was told it would be difficult for him to walk again, let alone playing hockey. But after two years he returned to the pitch. The maestro travelled to the 1978 Buenos Aires World Cup where he excelled. He eventually played six World Cups in all – a record – besides two Olympics and represented the Netherlands in 202 matches, scoring 167 goals, many with his penalty corner expertise.

Jugraj Singh, India’s great drag flicking hope, was seriously injured in a car crash in 2003. He made a valiant attempt to return to the India squad but wasn’t able to. Baljit Singh, India goalkeeper, lost vision in his right eye when the golf ball he was training with sneaked into his helmet’s visor and caused a serious injury in 2009. After extensive treatment abroad he tried to make a comeback but a place in the national team was a bridge to far.