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North back running as injury recovery ramps up

Wales’ George North   7/3/2020
Wales flyer George North has stepped up his rehab from a serious knee injury as he starts running once again.

Wales flyer George North has stepped up his rehab from a serious knee injury as he starts running once again.

The 29-year-old suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament while in club action for the Ospreys in April, ruling him out of a possible third British & Irish Lions Tour.

North played four matches in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations as Wales claimed the title, scoring tries in victories over Ireland and Italy in his new role in the centres.

Now, 17 weeks on from the injury, North is back running using a high-tech, anti-gravity treadmill that controls his bodyweight on the machine.

He posted a photo of himself in action on it on Twitter saying: “Levelled up on rehab now. 17 weeks today and running again. Really looking forward to pushing on now. Watch this space.”

And after getting questions about how the machine works, North explained just how the treadmill allowed him to control his bodyweight while running.

He said: “It’s an anti-gravity treadmill. So you are able to control what % of your body weight you’d like to walk/run at. 100% is your actual body weight. And you can go as low as 20%. Effectively running 80% lighter. Great for controlling loads.”

Typically an ACL tear means an absence of six-nine months, meaning that North faces a battle to be back fit in time for the Autumn Internationals, with Wales taking on New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji and Australia.

North will also have other matters to focus on while he continues to rehab his injury, with wife Becky North, a two-time Olympic silver medal-winning cyclist, announcing on Instagram that the pair are expecting a second child.

Their son Jac was born last May, with their second child expected in ten weeks.