Carl’s catching his breath in Melksham after the Olympics, the Euros and Champions League final!

IT’S been a crazily busy few weeks for Melksham osteopath, Carl Todd.

Carl, who lives in Whitley, and runs Carl Todd Clinics in the town, has just returned from the Tokyo Olympics where he was part of Team GB supporting sprinter Dina Asher-Smith.

It follows on from being part of the back-room staff for England football team at the European Championships last month and for Chelsea FC at the Champions League Final in May.

“The Olympics were an amazing experience,” Carl told Melksham News. “It was tremendously well organised and the people were really welcoming.

“And with the Team GB performing so well, there was a  fantastic buzz.

“With Covid, we were encouraged not to mix but it was still an amazing thing to be part of.”

Carl is the osteopath for Dina Asher-Smith who went into the Olympics as one of the favourites for the 200m where she is currently the reigning world champion. But she had picked up a hamstring injury during the Olympic trials in June and was fighting to return to full fitness.

“We went out to Tokyo knowing this,” said Carl. “She did really well to come back from the injury but unfortunately missed a three week block of training when she would have been doing power and reactive work, which is so important for sprinters.

“Dina ran 11 seconds in the 100m semi-final to just miss out on a place in the final, but those three weeks of missed training is the difference between running 11 seconds and 10.7 seconds. You really have to be 100% at the Olympics.

“After the 100m, Dina withdrew from the 200m to give her extra time to recover before the relays.

“It meant she could run in the relays and the team won a fantastic bronze medal, breaking the British record, so that was a real positive.

“It was so frustrating after 18 months of Covid to have an injury six weeks before the competition but she will put that behind her and I’ve been working with her this week to prepare for the rest of the season and start work towards the World Championships and Commonwealth Games next year.”

Carl praised the organisation of the Tokyo Olympics saying, “Despite the many thousands of athletes and staff, there were minimal cases of Covid out there; they did an absolutely fantastic job.”

Carl was in Tokyo for three weeks before returning after Dina’s sprint relay. And he was soon back to work with Chelsea as they beat Villarreal to win the Uefa Super Cup last week and then beat Crystal Palace in the opening game of the new Premier League season on Saturday.

“It’s been a massively busy summer and I must pay tribute to the staff at the Carl Todd Clinics in Melksham, Corsham and Swindon; they have been fantastic; with Mel, my wife running the show. It’s been an amazing summer but it’s great to be back home and back in the clinics.

“Things will quieten down for a while, although there is still an England international coming up next month and the World Club Championships in December with Chelsea, which will be in Japan this year.” (Chelsea, as Champions of Europe, will compete against the winners of the other six continental football federations).

Carl started his osteopathy career in Melksham 20 years ago with his wife, Mel. He has been working with the England football team since 2005  and he has been at Chelsea FC since 2008 and was part of the back room staff for the club’s two Champions League wins in 2021 and 2012.

And when he’s not keeping the country’s top sports stars fit, you can find him working alongside the team at Carl Todd Clinics in Melksham, Corsham or Swindon, treating a range of problems and offering effective relief for issues such as back pain, joint pain, headaches and muscular strains.

“Hopefully my work at the Olympics and with England and Chelsea all helps to put Melksham on the map and shows that anyone can get the same quality treatment as some of the world’s top sports stars right here in Melksham.”

For more details about Carl Todd Clinics, visit www.carltoddclinics.com