COMMENT: Van Commenee, the taskmaster with a tough task

Posted: Monday 9th March 2009 | 18:42

CHARLES Van Commenee stepped out of Turin's Meridien hotel and looked to the north - the soaring Italian Alps ahead of him.

BRIGHT SPOT: Mo Farah won Britain's first gold in Turin. Britain won just four medals compared to ten (Birmingham 2007), six (Madrid 2005), seven (Vienna 2003), five (Gent 2000), six (Valencia 1998) (Getty Images)

But now wasn't time for a quick end of season skiing break - he's got a different mountain to climb, pitted with equally treacherous pitfalls.

There is no doubting Van Commenee's stellar credentials - many believe if he'd taken the job instead of Dave Collins in 2004, British athletics would be in a different position today, although what miracles he could have worked is unclear.

However, he needed no clearer indication of the difficult terrain ahead than this long weekend at the European Indoor Championships.

Britain won ten medals at these championships two years ago, a figure certainly inflated by home track advantage in Birmingham.

Britain won just four medals compared to ten (Birmingham 2007), six (Madrid 2005), seven (Vienna 2003), five (Gent 2000), six (Valencia 1998)."

So Van Commenee's target of ‘five to six' seemed realistic and sensible.

The return of just four, including two relay medals in six-team events, was somewhat sobering and Britain's worst performance at this event since Stockholm in 1996.

None of the squad in Turin can be considered realistic contenders for a gold medal at this summer's IAAF World Championships in Berlin - the real barometer of where we are on the road to London 2012.

Indeed, even those who won in Italy are outsiders at the very best for a medal.

VOTE: After Dwain Chambers won Euro indoor gold, was Charles van Commenee right to exclude him from 4x100m World Championships relay?

Dwain Chambers might talk about ‘Project Bolt' but he's not even on the Jamaican's radar.

And if the EuroMeetings promoters continue to deny him invitations, the chance of him being competitive with the Olympic champion and world record recorder plus Asafa Powell, Tyson Gay and others is even slimmer.

Chambers won a silver medal at last year's World Indoors but the best time he could produce last summer was ten seconds dead, which would only have placed him seventh in the Beijing Olympic final.

Even his juiced-up 2002‘personal best', 9.87 seconds, would have left him trailing in Bolt's wake.

Running angry will only get you so far, even in a sprint.

PROJECT BOLT: Dwain Chambers dominated his rivals in Turin but Usain Bolt, watching from the sunshine in Jamaica, still won't lose any sleep in the build up to this year's World Championships in Berlin (Getty Images)

It was unfortunate fate of timing that Mo Farah's classy victory in the 3000m was overshadowed by Chambers's European record time just a few minutes earlier.

Farah now enjoys regular success in Europe, golds in both indoors and cross-country and silver at the last outdoor championships in Gothenburg three years ago.

But against the might of the African nations - he'll struggle to make the same impression in Berlin, although at least he is going in the right direction after his failure to make last year's Olympic final.

Van Commenee will probably issue a few stern lectures - the sort that reduced Kelly Sotherton to tears after her bronze at the Athens Olympics - in the post-mortem of these Championships.

He publicly labeled Marilyn Okoro's tactics in the 800m - she bizarrely sprinted away from the field 400m from the line, only to find her tank running empty in closing stages - as ‘naïve'.

Privately he might use stronger words. Okoro was ranked second in the world before these championships and was one of van Commenee's medal bankers. She finished fifth, literally crawling across the line on her knees.

NAÏVE: Marilyn Okoro was considered the best medal chance from the British women in Turin but her tactics baffled her coaches and team-mates (Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Sarah Claxton learned the hard way about the importance of timing.

She produced the race of her life to equal her four-year-old British 60 metres hurdles record of 7.96 secs in the semi-final.

She started the final as the quickest qualifier but stumbled out of her blocks and crossed the line last in a pedestrian 8.21 secs.

And to make it worse, if she'd run her semi time when it really mattered, Claxton would have claimed bronze - her first major senior meal.

The 29-year old then stormed off the track in disgust, tearfully waving aside all requests for comment.

Even when given a chance to cool down, she couldn't find the words to express her disappointment.

Unfortunately it's not the first time Claxton has impressed in the rounds but fumbled in the final - the same thing happened in Beijing last summer, confirming a suspicion by many that she is vulnerable when the pressure is cranked up.

There are now just six major championships, and a Commonwealth Games, until London 2012. Van Commenee is a taskmaster with an unenviable task."

Sportsbeat's James Toney

In the field events, without Phillips Idowu, the return was even poorer.

Greg Rutherford jumped an indoor personal best in the long jump, breaking the eight metre barrier for the first time but could only finish sixth.

Kate Dennison and Steve Lewis both made the pole vault finals in an encouraging step, or should it be leap, forward - finishing sixth and fourth respectively. Both are work in progress but the progress still needs to be accelerated, although credit where it is due.

It's right to point out our medal best chances in Berlin this summer - Christine Ohuruogu, Idowu and a fit Paula Radcliffe - weren't here while the brightest of our rising stars, Stephanie Twell, has focused her winter on cross country and this month's World Championships in Jordan.

But there are now just six major championships, and a Commonwealth Games, until London 2012.

Van Commenee is a taskmaster with an unenviable task.

JAMES TONEY in Turin

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