Olympics: Paddling hopeful Jacob Hammond’s battle back from Meningococcal

The first sign was a sore throat. The next, a bit of blood after having a drink. Just hours later this young athlete was in a fight for his life.

Kayaker Jacob Hammond has his sights set on the 2024 Olympics.

Jakob Hammond knows how lucky he is to be alive, let alone being able to do an elite sport and dream of one day going to an Olympics.

Less than five years ago he was battling meningococcal, now he’s preparing to fight for a spot in the Australian kayaking squad based on the Gold Coast.

The northern beaches paddler said he is still not 100 per cent recovered from the Meningococcal Septicaemia which saw him rushed to hospital back in 2016 but has learned to manage his health.

Kayaker Jakob Hammond has paddled with some of the biggest names in the sort, including multiple Olympians. Pic: JGRimages

And it hasn’t stopped him from establishing himself as one of the most exciting under 23 paddlers in the country and good enough to paddle the K4 at last years national with Olympians Murray Stewart, Riley Fitzsimmons and Lachlan Tame.

“It’s getting better. I’m pretty lucky to come away with nothing, no loss of limb or anything,’’ said the 21-year-old.

“I’m forever grateful I have another life now.

“My immune system is still compromised but it has definitely improved. I still get sick more out of everyone I know but I manage things better.’’

Hammond said he still has no idea how he contracted the deadly disease.

“It never got figured out. It’s contracted by saliva so it can be from a cough, a drink bottle, we don’t know,’’ said Hammond, who lives at Bayview.

“It happened in October 2016 and I was in the ICU for six days and paediatrics for another seven.

“I came back from six-a-side soccer and took a swig of water and spat out and saw some blood. I had a sore throat before that as well.

Kayaker Jakob Hammond has already overcome a major obstacle in his life. Pic: JGRimages

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“I went home. I was so tired, really felt off, felt like my body was shutting down.

“Through the night I was vomiting. I went into mum’s room and my eyes were bloodshot and red and I had purple little pricks all over me.

“We got to the hospital and they took me straight to ICU.

“I’m pretty lucky to have survived that. I was told later people can die from it.’’

A paddler from the age of 12, Hammond was back in his boat five months after leaving hospital in 2017 and winning Australian junior titles in K1 and K2 events before racing at the world under 18s world championships.

Now, after missing the world u23 championships due to COVID last year, he is working on being reselected this year and also securing a spot in the Australian squad training in Queensland.

“The big goal is 2024,’’ he said of the Olympics planned for Paris.