England’s penalty shoot out heartbreak against Italy was a painful experience for all England fans. For Melksham osteopath Carl Todd it was doubly so. He was part of Gareth Southgate’s back room for the Euro 2020 tournament and was pitch side at Wembley.
But Carl, who lives in Whitley, and runs Carl Todd Clinics in the town, has to put the disappointment behind him quickly as he is now heading to Tokyo to help Britain’s top sprinter Dina Asher-Smith in her bid for Gold in the Olympics.
“The boys did brilliantly; and it was absolutely heart-breaking to lose on penalties; it’s just horrible to lose that way,” Carl told Melksham News after the Euro 2020 final. “But the players can be incredibly proud of themselves for what they achieved.
“We’ll be better and stronger going forward and we’ve got to be optimistic for the future. It’s a really tight group; the players, the staff, everyone and, hopefully, we can go one better in the World Cup next year.
“We were in a bubble at the training camp at St. George’s Park in Burton during the tournament so you are detached from the public; you don’t really know just how much excitement there was in the country.
“When we travelled to London and saw all the roads lined with people cheering and the flags and banners and how much the country was getting behind the team, you realised how much it meant to the country. And there was an unbelievable atmosphere at Wembley for the final and semi final. It made the hair stand up when the national anthem was played. There was a feeling of doing something for the whole country after the year everyone has had.
“Some of the players have played in cup finals for their clubs; but nothing of this magnitude; to have the whole country behind you was amazing.”
Carl was part of the England fitness and medical team which includes physios, masseurs, doctors and strength and conditioning specialists. He is also osteopath at Chelsea and was part of their team who won the Champions League in May.
Now he is heading to Tokyo to help Dina Asher-Smith in her bid for Olympic glory in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay.
“With the Euros and Covid regulations, I haven’t seen Dina for six weeks but we’ve been in regular contact, helping her prepare for the Games,” said Carl.
“I’ve been part of her team for a few years and she requested I travel with her as a member of the GB team. It will be strange in Tokyo without any fans and with the Covid regulations, but it’s an incredible honour to be going to the Olympics.”
Dina is the fastest British woman in history and goes to Tokyo as the 200m World Champion, having won gold in the 2019 World Championships where she also won silver in the both the 100m and 4×100m relay to become the first Briton to win three medals at a World Championships. She also won bronze in the 4 x 100m at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Carl started his osteopathy career in Melksham at Lowbourne Osteopaths 20 years ago, before taking over the practice last year with his wife, Mel.
He has been working with the England football team since 2005 – the Euros was his seventh major tournament with the national team – and he has been at Chelsea since 2008 and was part of the back room team 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.
For more details about their clinics, visit www.carltoddclinics.com
