Charles van Commenee

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Charles van Commenee at the welcoming of the Netherlands team at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Charles van Commenee, written in Dutch as van Commenée, (born 22 June 1958) is a Dutch

British Athletics from 2008 to 2012. Additionally, he has personally coached athletes to international medals, including Denise Lewis, Kelly Sotherton and Huang Zhihong
.

Early career

Charles van Commenee was born in Amsterdam, Holland, the son of Otto (a heavy industry worker) and Ineke (a woman of Indo Eurasian heritage). He grew up in Osdorp, a borough of the city, and from an early age he was instilled with a strong work ethic. As a young man he was interested in athletics, competing in the decathlon at club level, but several injuries forced him to give up the sport.[1][2]

Van Commenee first became involved in coaching at the age of eighteen; he began teaching children while studying for a degree in

throws by the Dutch athletics federation. He took on other coaching responsibilities, including a brief stay in China where he met shot put thrower Huang Zhihong.[4] He began coaching her in 1993 and at the 1995 World Championships she took the silver medal.[2][3] Though this was a significant achievement for the veteran athlete, Van Commenee said that he was as much a personal mentor for Huang as he was a coach. She had moved away from home to attend a sports institute at the age of twelve and had not experienced life outside of the centre. Van Commenee had helped her adapt to living on her own and supporting herself, at the same time as he helped her to a World Championship medal.[5]

The coach showed his stubborn and determined temperament when in 1996 he withdrew from managing the Dutch Olympic team because he felt that one of his trainees,

1996 Atlanta Olympics was self-funded and he took Jaklofsky out of the Dutch camp for training every day. She reached the finals of the competition but faulted three times, failing to record a mark.[1]

British coaching

Van Commenee first met British

2000 Sydney Olympics she took the gold in the heptathlon, becoming the first of Van Commenee's charges to win an Olympic gold medal.[2] However, her victory was not easily forthcoming; during the Olympic events Van Commenee was critical of her performances, urging her ever more to try harder.[1] Despite the fact that Lewis was suffering injuries, she managed to win the event.[2]
She put much of her success and drive to win down to the fact that Van Commenee had been so strict:

"His virtues are two-fold really. As a person he's actually much more sensitive than people might believe. And as a coach, he is driven. Athletes, not least me, would really just love to go our merry way. He doesn't let you. We've had a lot of difficulties in the three years we've been together and he gets you right at the right time. My self-discipline is down to him."[1]

— Denise Lewis, The Daily Telegraph

Van Commenee also worked with less prominent athletes, helping them improve their performances through sheer hard work—he coached

2004 Athens Olympics. However, this was still not enough for Van Commenee and he branded her "a wimp" for not managing to finish in second place.[3] Later on, he expressed regret over the timing of the comment but Sotherton stood by her coach regardless, stating: "People always go on about that quote, but they have to remember that Charles was the one who got me in the position to be an Olympic medallist...I don't think any other coach could have got me to where he did."[5]

In 2004 the position of performance director became available at UK Athletics. Van Commenee was considered for the job but ultimately decided to leave the UK in favour of becoming technical director of the Netherlands athletics team.

2008 Beijing Olympics, he returned to the UK to take up the position of national head coach from September 2008.[9]

Charles van Commenee stepped down as UK Athletics head coach after the team failed to meet his medal target at the

2012 Olympics in London.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mott, Sue (2001-01-19). Lewis called him `The Volcano', but even the eruptions are scrupulous. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Turnbull, Simon (2001-06-22). The Interview: Charles van Commenee; The Dutch master, the mind games[dead link]. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  3. ^ a b c d Baker, Andrew (2008-09-23). UK Athletics coach Charles van Commenee would 'welcome back' Dwain Chambers. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  4. Xinhuanet
    . (2008-08-07). Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  5. ^ a b Turnbull, Simon (2008-09-07). Golden prospect: Van's the man to get Britain back on track. The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  6. ^ Knight, Tom (2001-01-13). Athletics: Britain offer top job to Dutchman. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  7. ^ De Finale van Topsport in Amsterdam[permanent dead link]. Topsport Amsterdam. Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  8. ^ Collins named UK Athletics chief. BBC Sport (2004-12-07). Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  9. ^ Van Commenee named UKA head coach. BBC Sport (2008-09-23). Retrieved on 2009-02-25.
  10. ^ "UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee to step down". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 September 2012.

External links

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