goPhysio are delighted to provide support to local young athletes and sports clubs, including Swan Netball Club and Stoneham Football Club.

We also provide additional support to individual athletes, one being Josh. Josh is a discus thrower with his sights set high! We asked Josh a bit more about his specialist sport.

Tell us a little bit more about you and your athletic career to date? 

I started competing in discus in 2016 and found a hidden talent for such an unpopular event early on and In my first competition I threw a distance that got me to top of the UK rankings for my age group.

I have placed first in all competitions in 2018 apart from the European trials and finished the season with titles of Under 17 discus…

• Hampshire champion 🥇
• English Schools champion🥇
• International Schools champion🥇
• National champion🥇
• International school games champion🥇

I was ranked number 1 in the UK in 2018 for the under 17 age category with a throw of 55.97m. This year I competed at the world schools athletics competition in Croatia for England in the Under 18 age category coming 5th, contributing to the boys England team coming 2nd overall. My personal best this year is 53 metres resulting in me being ranked 4th in the UK and hoping for a lot more by the end of next year.

What does a typical training schedule look like for you? 

Without going into too much detail I’m in the gym doing strength and conditioning about 5x a week. Which includes anything from Olympic lifting (or attempting anyway) to ballistic training to standard weightlifting. My main aim isn’t to build show muscle but go muscle, as i like to put it, so my reps are lower the weights aren’t. I’m also usually down at the track 3-4x a week but currently it’s 2-3 due to the cold however we do indoor throwing sessions to make up for that.

What does coming to goPhysio help you with? 

3 words. Maintenance, prevention and restoration. You can think of going to goPhysio almost like going to a car garage. You are a car and garage is there to tighten any loose screws, refill your tires and most importantly prevent the chance breakdown on the road!

I’m going to have and do have injuries, weaknesses, the whole lot but I know I would have fared a whole lot worse if it wasn’t for the help goPhysio have provided me. My assigned Therapist, Rosie, is helping me with old injuries but also preventing any from creeping up on me further down the line and I can’t exactly exactly ask for more than that.

My event, uncommon though it is, requires an immense amount of co-ordination and power. All throwers have to produce the most efficient movements as fast as possible and because of this any weak link or flaw can be the difference of metres at a young age or the crucial centimetres at their prime. goPhysio helps me identify that weak link, that limiter so that I can achieve my potential and hopefully repay the incredible support network they’ve offered me by doing just that.

Why did you choose to get help at goPhysio? 

Convenience and reputation. Not only is goPhysio basically down the road they are also one of the most suggested from those I’ve know do have had issues and needed somewhere to go. The staff are friendly and the atmosphere isn’t one of dread (ing of what’s coming) but relief that it will be okay. Before i gained support from goPhysio I’d been there previously for a knee injury that costed me losing out on going to nationals but with their help I was able to get back to doing what I love quicker then i thought i would and you can’t really ask for more than that.

What are your plans for the future? 

In terms of where I want to take my sport, my only answer really is as far as I possibly can. I’m an Olympic and Commonwealth hopeful, just like any other athlete who loves their sport, my current aims are Paris Olympics 2024 and the Commonwealth Games of 2022. I plan to throw at least 58 metres this year to qualify for the Under 20 world championships in Nairobi and finish top 3 in the UK. That’s the plan anyway and with the support from goPhysio my dreams are ever closer to becoming a reality.

During the Coronavirus crisis, we’ve supported Josh by loaning him some equipment so he can continue his training whilst in isolation.