A former Team Great Britain judo fighter who became overweight and suicidal after he was blinded by a poke in the eye has fought back by turning himself into a bodybuilding hunk.
Alex Goodrich, 31, qualified for London 2012, but his Olympic dreams were dashed when he was blinded in one eye by a punch during a training match.
He was forced to retire and overnight gave up his rigorous gym routine and started bingeing on junk food, spiraling into a six-year depression.
Goodrich became blind in one eye while training for the 2012 Olympics.SWNS
But after trying to take his own life he turned his life around by walking at least 10,000 steps a day, then hitting the gym six days a week and overhauling his diet.
And in just two years he had transformed his body and was back to competition fitness — this time in a muscle model contest.
Goodrich is now working towards a postgraduate degree in medicine and hopes to become a doctor.
He said: “As soon as I received the sharp punch, I had to fight through being made blind by the sport I loved.”
“It was probably one of the hardest moments of my life to realize that my dream was over at 24.”
“I just couldn’t handle it anymore as the multiple career-ending injuries and the psychological and physical pain of having everything I had worked was completely taken away from me.”
“I lost my identity as an athlete, a person, and a human being.”
“But probably one of the hardest moments for me to realize was the fact that I had to watch my friends and colleagues win medals for Great Britain at the London Olympics without me.”
Goodrich started competing in judo at the age of 6 before turning pro at 16, joining the UK national academy, and qualifying for the Great Britain team ahead of London 2012.
But in March 2010, while training for the Olympics, a fellow competitor punched him in the eye, accidentally leaving him with a fractured retina.
He needed immediate surgery leaving him blind in one eye and he was forced to give up his place in the team.
Goodrich, who was studying for a sports science degree at the University of Bath at the time, put on 132 pounds.
After packing on the pounds Goodrich completely changed his body.SWNS
Goodrich said: “I put on 132 pounds — more than a third of my body weight — and started spiraling into depression by closing myself off from the world which I would say was probably one of the lowest points of my life.”
“I was broken and amid his anxiety, stress, and depression so I just resorted to bingeing on junk food — chips, chocolate, and regular fast food meals.”
“I developed sleep apnoea.”
He tried to end his life in November 2016.
“I never felt so low in my life,” he said.
“But, I remembered the importance of hope as six years of suffering needed to change.”
“I wanted to show everyone that had ever doubted me that weight loss is possible with a simple diet and exercise regime alone.”
He went to the gym at least six times a week, combined with a high protein diet and at least 10,000 steps a day.
Almost two years of hard work paid off as Goodrich competed in Pure Elite, showcasing his body to hundreds of people in September.
Goodrich said: “I stayed determined and achieved my goal but at the same time showed everyone the hard work, dedication and commitment which I believe were the hallmarks of success.”
“The competition and transformation have almost certainly been vital in shaping me to be the person I am today.”
“I have removed the unnecessary suffering in my life and changed from being the victim to the hero.”
