Charles van Commenée

Charles Van Commenee was born June 22nd 1958, and grew up in Osdorp, a borough of Amsterdam. From an early age he was instilled with a strong work ethic. He competed in the decathlon and the 200 metres as a young man but a hamstring injury forced him to give up the sport. His first foray into the world of athletics came at the age of 18 when he began teaching children whilst he was studying for a degree in physical education, and this was to have a lasting impact. After he had completed his military service in 1981, he decided to dedicate himself to coaching full time and in 1987 he was appointed as the coach for the Dutch javelin team. Building upon his coaching success, in 1992 he was promoted to technical director of combined events and throws by the Dutch athletics federation. He took on other coaching responsibilities, including a brief stay in China where he met shotput thrower Huang Zhihong. His first involvement with UK athletics came in 1994 when he started working with Bri