Highcliffe maintenance man Danny wins judo gold medal seven months after cancer surgery

Danny Murphy’s sporting triumph is a golden inspiration to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis.

For the Highcliffe Nursing Home maintenance man won a judo gold medal at last month’s British Veterans Open in London – just seven months after major surgery for prostate cancer.

Mr Murphy, 64, won gold in the under 100kg category for judo players 60 years old and over.

He said: “I have been practising judo for over 40 years but after the surgery I could not even walk for the first day or two. Aiming to compete in the judo championships gave me a focal point to aid my recovery.”

Mr Murphy used the NHS Couch to 5K plan to begin his journey back to fitness and by February he was able to take part in a Prostate Cancer UK fundraiser, successfully running and walking 56 miles during the month.

Friends and colleagues at the Kingsley Healthcare care home in Stuart Road, Highcliffe, helped him raise about £500 through sponsorship.

Mr Murphy said he had been a relatively late starter at judo and was only introduced to the sport when he took his children along to a club because of bullying at school, watched them train and thought, “I can do that”.

He became a member of London’s Budokwai club, which had schooled Olympic medallists Brian Jacks and Neil Adams, and said he was lucky enough to be trained by national coach Roy Inman OBE.

Over three decades, the father of three combined his sporting prowess - winning medals at two Masters World Championships in the 1980s - with life as a black cab driver in London, commuting to Heathrow from his home in Hampshire.

“I have always done painting and decorating and joined the team at Highcliffe in 2019,” he said. “The residents and staff are great and it’s a fantastic place to work.”

Regional Operations Manager Tracey Millar said: “Danny is a valued and popular member of the team and an inspiration to us all by the way he has recovered so quickly, returning to work full-time and raising funds for Prostate Cancer UK.”