After winning the British Indoor Champs, 2020 looked set to be George Mills’ year. Then Covid hit. Despite this the young Sussex athlete is still raring to go and very much looking forward to his future in the sport.
Kate Matthews caught up with him to chat about his background in the sport, training and how he has dealt with Coronavirus.
Kate: Who are you?
George: I am 21 Years Old from Harrogate, North Yorkshire but I have lived in Steyning, West Sussex since 2018. I moved to Sussex in 2017 to join Phoenix Track Club. My coach is Jon Bigg and my sponsors are Nike, Hyperice, CurraNZ.
Kate: Do you work around doing athletics?
George: I have just completed my Sport & Exercise Science Degree at the University of Brighton.
Kate: What are your favourite distances/disciplines? And why?
George: I love the 800 and 1500! However, the 1500m probably edges it slightly at the moment as I have had more success over that distance recently such as winning the British Indoor 1500m in February.
Kate: How did you get into athletics?
George: I had always ran and played sport from a young age. I joined Harrogate Harriers when I was about 12 years old and competed for them and my school at local and county level. When I was 15 I represented North Yorkshire in both the English Schools XC where I finished 11th and then for the Track & Field English Schools where I placed 6th in the 800m running 2.00.56
The 800m has always been my ‘first’ event. I won English Schools over the 800m in 2015 when I was 16. I had a PB of 1.50.55 which led to me being selected to represent England at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.
In 2016 I represented Great Britain for the first time competing in the U18 European Championships where I won the 800m and was crowned U18 European Champion. I finished 2016 with a PB of 1.48.36 for the 800m and 3.44.43 for the 1500m.
Kate: What do you love/hate about the sport?
George: For me I love how in this sport you get out what you put in, in the sense everything is down to you. For example, if you work as hard as you possibly can, push yourself and your limits in everything you do then I believe you’ll be successful.
I wouldn’t say I hate anything about the sport. I think ‘hating’ things in the sport you want to be successful in can only have a negative impact on your performance so for me I enjoy everything I do and work as hard as I possibly can day in day out.
Kate: What has kept you in it? 
George: I’ve only ever enforced breaks from the sport, this is due to various injuries.
April 2017 - Stress Fracture Right TIbia
November 2017 - Stress Fracture Left Sacrum
May 2018 - Hamstring Tear
Due to these Injuries I didn’t race in the 2017 or 2018 season. This period was without doubt my most challenging time in the sport. Throughout this period I focused on the positives and what I could do rather than what I couldn’t. I continued to train hard on the bike, in the pool and in the gym working on all my weaknesses. I had a really good support team around me which allowed me to get through this and come out of the other side stronger.
Kate: What is your most proud athletics' achievement moment?
George: Winning the 800m at the European U18 Championships was a huge moment in my career. However more recently in February I won the 1500m at the British Indoor Championships. This was without doubt a huge moment for me, my family and my team as it was the first time I had been successful on the Senior stage.
Kate: How often do you train (in normal times) and type of things this includes?
George: I usually train 2/3 times everyday.
This involves various types of runs, running sessions and gym sessions.
I also focus a lot on the recovery side of things making sure I stretch regularly, yoga has been a great way for me to get this into my training week.
I have recently partnered with hyperice who have some awesome recovery equipment which has really helped me improve my recovery strategy.
Kate: Other than actual achievements/PBs, what has being part of athletics brought to your life?
George: Athletics has given me a sense of purpose as I have many goals in the sport which I want to achieve. The sport has also allowed me to travel to various places in the world and have some amazing experiences in the process. It has also provided the opportunity for me to be part of the PHXTRK team, which has been great as athletics is fundamentally an individual sport.
Kate: Best Athletics Memory?
George: I mentioned my best achievements above. But aside from that it has to be super Saturday in 2012 seeing Mo, Greg and Jess win Gold.
Kate: What would you say to younger people wanting to get started?
George: Just go out there and enjoy It, make friends and work hard when you train.
Kate: What would you change about the sport?
George: To be honest not a lot. Maybe make more events team based for example have Team Nike compete against Team Puma / Adidas / New Balance. I feel this may add a different component to the sport.
One other thing would be distance relays for example 4 x 800m, 4 x 1 Mile. I feel this could add something a little different for spectators.
Kate: How do you juggle training/competitions around the rest of your life?
George: I’ve never struggled to get everything I need to do done. I think you just have to be super organised with everything and occasional alter what your top priority is at different points in the year. For example, I’d change the time I would train if there was a lecture I needed to be at when I was going to uni.
Kate: Favourite athlete (past or present)?
George: My Dad (Danny Mills) is without doubt my biggest role model in sport. To see your Dad perform at the highest level in his sport is awesome and a massive inspiration.
Kate: How did you manage to keep fit/train during Corona? Any tips for others? Is it a lot better as the restrictions have been lifted?
George: I went back to Yorkshire during lockdown to be with my family and to be honest really enjoyed that time. It was the longest amount of time I have actually spent at home since I moved to Sussex in 2017. I was able to train pretty normally there as we have a decent gym at home and obviously I’m very lucky that with my sport you only really need a pair of Nike’s and you can get a good workout in anywhere. However, it’s great to be back down here training with the group, without a doubt makes training that little bit easier.
Kate: Have you missed doing competitions and how do you think this will affect your running etc?
George: Definitely, I was really looking forward to competing this year, it would have been interesting to see how I performed after a fairly positive indoor season and with this season being my second back after being out injured.
To be honest I don’t think it will have any sort of negative effect. If anything it will most likely be positive as I’ve had more time to develop my weaknesses and work on different aspects of the sport which I may not have been able to if I had been racing week in week out.