George Mills represented Team GB at the Paris Olympics last summer. The Yorkshireman tells Ross Heppenstall about his desire to realise more dreams. 

South Africa is a long way from North Yorkshire; a gruelling training camp in the Mpumalanga province is quite the contrast to a relaxing family Christmas in Harrogate.

Yet that was the situation which George Mills found himself in once again as he saw in the New Year over 8,000 miles from home.

The talented middle-distance runner, who competed for Team GB at the Paris Olympics in the 1,500 and 5,000 metres last summer, has grown accustomed to putting his career first.

Mills’ mantra is simple: eat, sleep, train. Repeat. Last June, that relentless drive earned him a silver medal in the 5,000 metres at the European Championships in Rome.

Two months later, he made his Olympic debut in Paris, where he was struck down by a debilitating bout of Covid just days before his opening heat. That led to a disappointing campaign which saw Mills knocked out in the 1,500m semi-finals and, after an argument with Hugo Hay following a collision in the 5,000 heats, he finished in 21st place in the final.

Still, a new year has brought new hope and Mills remains fiercely determined to prove himself at the highest level and get back amongst the medals.

Reflecting on his highs and lows in 2024, the 25-year-old tells Northside from his training base in Dullstroom: “Initially at the end of the season, I wasn’t happy and wish I’d been able to perform much better in Paris.

“But getting Covid had a really big effect on me and my fitness going into the Olympics. There was a lot of stress because of all of a sudden my body was not able to do things that I needed it to. However, I think on the whole my season was really good.

“We [Mills and his coaching team] improved a lot in a lot of areas and probably didn’t expect that we’d be at that level in the 5K to win a medal at European level.

“Everything in 2024 was about qualifying for Paris, so every stepping stone that we targeted along the way, we were able to achieve.

“Being able to step back and look at it retrospectively, it was actually really positive. I had five races in Paris, albeit with performances I wasn’t happy with.

“But to go through the experiences of all those rounds and having to get yourself up for it, calm down and recover in an Olympic situation in front of 80,000 was an unbelievable learning curve.

“In my first Olympics, being in five completely different scenarios where you have to manage your emotions and physically prepare was an invaluable experience and opportunity.

“Sitting here, on reflection now, I think it’s something that will benefit me massively in the coming years.”

Mills showcased his talent when winning silver at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, where his father Danny was on the bench when Leeds United beat Lazio and drew with Roma in Champions League. The Mills family was there to see George finish second behind Jakob Ingebrigtsen and he reflects: “Obviously it was a huge achievement.

“But it’s quite hard to look at that as being the biggest peak of my season because that was just very much in my head as ‘this is a stepping stone towards Paris’.

“It was a nice taste, though, as it was my first outdoor senior team and outdoor competition on a European or global level.

“To be able to come away from that with a medal is something to be proud of. Again, it gives me a lot of hunger to perform and prove it on the world stage in the future.

“There were various high points last year and running the standard for the 5K in Boston was very big and a real highlight because that was basically the emphasis of our winter training.

“Qualifying for both the 1,500 and the 5,000 for the Olympics is something that not many athletes have done and was something we really wanted to do. We can be proud of that and making an Olympic final and a semi-final under difficult circumstances isn’t where we want to be but is trending in the right direction.”

In early February, Mills broke new ground in the 3000m at the Meeting de l’Eure in Val-de-Reuil, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Silver meeting. Mills took the victory in a super-fast 7:27.92 to move to ninth on the world all-time list, breaking the outright British record of 7:30.14 set by reigning world 1500m champion Josh Kerr indoors in New York last year.

The next big target for Mills is the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. Then, of course, there is the longer-term aim of making the Team GB squad again for the 2028 Olympics.

It is why he is currently training hard in Dullstroom, three hours north-east of Johannesburg where his On Running team base themselves during the winter.

Mills and his team-mates will remain in South Africa until April before switching to St Moritz in Switzerland for the rest of the year and travelling to his races from there.

“With the philosophy of my coach Thomas Dreißigacker, and how we set up our programme, every year we just try to become a better athlete,” explains Mills. “Last year I was able to compete at a high level in the 1,500 and the 5,000. The focus is being able to improve so I can perform more consistently at a higher level.

“But I’ve also had a taste of a European medal and I’m 25 now – I’ll be 26 in the next outdoor season – so I’m starting to come into the peak of my career where I need to be competing at the top level. That means winning medals in Diamond Leagues, European and World Championships.

“Everything that we do now will be geared towards that, whether that’s European or World indoors or Tokyo in the outdoors.

“Do I think my best is yet to come? Definitely. I think we’ve only just scratched the surface.

“January 2025 marked three years of being coached by Thomas and, if we look at the progression from then to now, I’m a completely different athlete.

“I’m very confident in saying that I wouldn’t be where I am today without making that change and joining his coaching set-up.

“If we’re able to keep building as we are, then I see no reason why I can’t keep really perform and cement myself as one of the best athletes in the world.

“The next Olympics in 2028 is a massive target and I’ll be 29 then, which is a good age. I’ll have four more years of good training under my belt and everything is focused towards that. We have the World and European Championships along the way, but the Olympics is obviously the pinnacle.

“Honestly, I’ll be in this sport as long as my body lets me. If it lets me go to 40 then I’ll do it because I love it that much.” 

Mills’ dad Danny was a popular figure during his time at Leeds United in a distinguished career which earned him 19 England caps. George’s selection for Paris last summer meant he and Danny became the first father and child to play for England at a football World Cup and represent GB in an Olympics respectively.

The family have remained based in Harrogate since Mills Snr moved north from Charlton Athletic to Elland Road in June 1999.

“I was born in Chelmsford in Essex but we immediately moved to North Yorkshire and I grew up in Harrogate,” says George. “I like to think of myself as a Yorkshireman and I went home during the off-season, so it was lovely to see all my friends and family.Harrogate is a brilliant place to live and it’s where I call home.”

While Danny has built a successful career as a football pundit since retiring, his four children are making their own way in life. George is the eldest and close to his brothers Stanley, a promising young footballer who was on Everton’s books before recently joining Oxford United, Spike and sister Mya.

Stan, a talented 21-year-old winger, is currently recovering from a long-term injury sustained during a loan spell at Oxford last season.

George, who was recently visited by dad Danny and mum Lisa in South Africa, reveals: “We’re a really tight-knit family and I massively appreciate all the support they give me. We chat regularly about what’s going on in our lives, especially with Stan now getting back into training after his injury. It’s been a really hard 12 months for him and as a sportsman you have to go through these highs and lows.

“I said to him ‘mate, if you can get through this, you can deal with anything’.

“I’ve not had an injury as serious as Stan’s but a few years ago I had a couple of stress fractures and a big muscle injury, which meant I didn’t really race for two years. I had a long period out, so rather than one serious one, it was multiple injuries back-to-back.

“Day to day, you have to keep turning up and get the work done even when you don’t want to. Then you will eventually see the fruits of your labour.”

That drive, desire and competitiveness characterised his father’s football career.

George adds: “I don’t really think about having a sporting legacy within the family – it’s normal because I’ve grown up with it.

“But there’s a belief between all of us that, if we really throw the kitchen sink at something, then we can compete with the best in the world.”