Sam Ward: What's the Story?
Athena Schmitt
2025-04-18 23:23:28
Count answers: 4
Ward suffered the effective loss of sight in one eye after being hit by a ball during an Olympic qualifying match against Malaysia in November 2019. But remarkably the 30-year-old returned to action just three months later with four metal plates and 31 screws in his face following a gruelling operating procedure. He underscored his value by finishing as the joint-top scorer at last month’s Euro Hockey tournament and is relishing an opportunity he feared might not arise. Early on it was about getting used to it – depth and perception were different and it was about trying to adapt. I had to put in a lot of hard work to get used to it, but now it’s time to crack on.
Ubaldo Swift
2025-04-18 23:10:41
Count answers: 5
He plays in a mask because of the injury he sustained at a penalty corner against Malaysia six years ago, which shattered his eye socket. Attacker Sam Ward has worn a protective face mask since a ball shattered his eye socket from a penalty corner against Malaysia six years ago and he helped to lead Team GB's late recovery. He was the one driving the team into the late sequence of three penalty corners which yielded up an equaliser at the death against a South African team of mainly part-timers who have crowdfunded to be here. A late Rupert Shipperley's goal set up by Sam Ward from a penalty corner rescued a 2-2 draw.
Veronica Koepp
2025-04-18 22:54:05
Count answers: 5
Sam Ward is a natural born goal scorer. His prowess in the circle saw him force his way into the international teams in 2014 and he has gone from strength to strength since.
A huge threat from both open play and penalty corners, Sam has established himself as one of the deadliest attackers in world hockey and nine times as he helped England to a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
He suffered a serious eye injury during the 2019 FIH Olympic Qualifier against Malaysia that threatened to end his career but has come back stronger and hungrier than before. Before becoming an international hockey player, Sam worked as a car salesman and now plies his trade domestically for Old Georgians, having previously featured for Leicester, Holcombe, Beeston and Loughborough Students.
Tavares Kertzmann
2025-04-18 21:57:04
Count answers: 4
A 2018 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist and one of England Hockey's most prolific goal scorers, Ward suffered seven facial fractures and tore his retina, leaving him blind in one eye. But the forward refused to retire and made an unprecedented return to the sport in time for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics and is now on his way to Birmingham this summer for the 2022 Commonwealth Games. "Early on I was told I wouldn't return to hockey and it was probably safest for me and my life to not put myself in any kind of risk for the future,” said Ward. He is one of over 1,100 elite athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded World Class Programme, allowing them to train full time, have access to the world’s best coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support. "But like any kind of sports person, you've got to a level because you're wired up a bit differently and you're determined to do what people don't think you can achieve. "I've had an interesting last few years of my career and I feel like I'm still improving as time goes on."
Theodora Davis
2025-04-18 21:30:26
Count answers: 7
He has done so ever since suffering an utterly horrific accident during qualifying for the Tokyo Games, when he was struck in the head by a teammate’s shot on goal during GB’s match with Malaysia on 3 November 2019.
The incident happened around 20 minutes from the final whistle, with Ward’s sides comfortably in front and was caused - at least in part, by the player’s own admission - by his being caught out of position “in absolute no man’s land”.
Hockey balls can travel as fast as 100 miles per hour and Ward was caught in the side of the head just above his left eye by the wayward snapshot, the resulting injury leaving him with seven or eight fractures to his face and a torn retina, resulting in the permanent loss of central vision from his left eye.
“I remember dropping to the floor, I remember getting into hospital and I remember looking and there was just this dent and loads of swelling down the side of my face. And then also a lack of bone structure here,” Ward recalled recently, pointing to his left temple, in an interview with the National Lottery to promote its fundraising efforts in support of British athletics.
Finding out you’ve lost central vision in your left eye for life was probably the toughest time, and I remember walking out of there, ringing my dad and just crying my eyes out,” he says.His subsequent recuperation included “dark and tough times, mentally it was pretty brutal” but he worked with a sports psychologist who helped him manage his emotional response to the trauma.
Einar Christiansen
2025-04-18 19:32:52
Count answers: 6
My sister and I were the first two players who signed up for the Banana Bunch - the kids section of Leicester Ladies. I was the first male to join the club! At nine, we felt it was in my best interests to find a boys’ team, so I moved to Beeston. We won the National Finals at U11, U13, U15 and U18.
I represented Midlands through all ages, but I have to be honest, I was a “chunky kid”. I had England U16 trials, but was told I wasn’t fit enough, I had quite a lot of knee pain growing up. At 19, I was asked to go with the team to the Euro Hockey League, invited to a few National Performance Centres and U21 trials, but it was the same story as before. I was never fit enough to play international sport.
In 2014 Andy Halliday was coaching indoor and asked me to join the squad to go and play in the A division. It was after this tournament that Bobby Crutchley, the men’s GB coach at the time, asked me to come for some training with the men. I was not initially selected for the tournament in India but an injury to another player allowed me to join the squad.
Afterwards, the strength and conditioning coach and Bobby sat me in a room for a meeting and basically gave me an ultimatum - we only want the best Sam Ward that you can be - that means physically conditioned - and that I wouldn’t play hockey again until I was fit enough. Since then, the only time I haven’t been selected is due to an impact injury.
Bennie Schinner
2025-04-18 18:59:38
Count answers: 7
He feels 'indestructible' after recovering from a career-threatening eye injury to be included in Great Britain's Olympic hockey squad for the Tokyo Games this summer. The striker suffered a shattered eye socket, torn retina and seven facial fractures which required 31 screws in surgery after being struck in the face by a ball playing an Olympic qualifier in November 2019. He was hit by a ball during an Olympic Games qualifier against Malaysia in 2019. He has now made Great Britain's 16-man squad for the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Arjun Marvin
2025-04-18 18:56:34
Count answers: 2
He suffered horrific facial injuries when he was hit by a shot from team-mate Harry Martin in 2019. The Leicester forward lost the sight in his left eye and had four plates and 31 screws inserted.
But he returned, Zorro- style mask and all, to be Team GB’s five-goal top scorer as they narrowly missed out on a podium place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Ward is desperate to at least match the bronze he took from beating India in 2018.
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