Clinic helping track stars shine (From Echo)

Clinic helping track stars shine

4:20pm Friday 6th January 2012 in Sport

AN osteopathic clinic is doing its best to make sure five of our brightest young athletes are in the best condition to fulfil their potentials.

Cedar Hall Clinic, in Benfleet, cures the tweaks and niggles of rising teenage stars Georgia Atkins, Hayley McLean, Sophie Riches and Joshua Olawore, as well as senior GB hurdler Gianni Frankis.

The clinic’s two osteopaths Jacki Milne and Sara Lovett wanted to give something back to the community and decided to start by offering help to three times English Schools sprint hurdle champion Atkins.

Six months later they took on Atkins’ fellow hurdler McLean and within another six months added Frankis, Riches and Olawore to their books.

“Both Sara and I are interested in sport and wanted to give something back,” said Milne.

“Obviously Gianni is our big hope for the Olympics this year but they are all very talented.

“They are such a lovely bunch and the younger ones amaze us how they are able to balance their school work with their athletics.

“They are all very good ambassadors for their sport.”

As well as her three English Schools’ titles, 18-year-old Atkins, from Rochford, has represented Great Britain at the European Youth Olympics.

McLean, 17, from Stanford-le-Hope, finished sixth in last year’s 400m hurdles World Youth Championships final and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Pitsea-based Frankis is ranked third in the UK at 110m hurdles and has competed for Great Britain at the World Championships.

Riches, 16, from Rayleigh, is the reigning European Youth Olympic 1,500m champion while Aveley’s Olawore is the number one ranked under-17 multi-eventer in the country and the English Schools champion.