UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee yesterday began the search for Britain’s “missing medal” ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London.
Van Commenee has already set a target of eight medals – including one gold – to be won on home soil in 11 months’ time, one more than the target achieved at the World Championships in Daegu.
And the Dutchman now has a better idea of where that extra medal is likely to come from after nine days of competition in South Korea ended on a high note with Mo Farah’s gold in the 5,000 metres and Phillips Idowu’s silver in the triple jump.
“Mission achieved and it puts us in a great position for next year where we want to win eight,” Van Commenee said. “It’s my job to find another from somewhere.
“I’ve always said at the end of this championship we would not have the finished product. I’ve always said we need three-and-a-half years, not two-and-a-half. It shows, but the thing about now is I know what to do.
“When we hit the target I’m happy, very happy. I go home as a satisfied head coach. Job done here. I know work has to be done, but we knew that already.”
But he singled out some under-performing medal hopefuls along the way, most notably the men’s relay teams – who both suffered dreadful finals – and 800m runner Jenny Meadows, who failed to even reach that stage.
The 4x400m team qualified well but could only manage a lacklustre seventh place, while Harry Aikines-Aryeetey’s collision with the United States’ Darvis Patton at the third changeover in the 4x100m spectacularly eliminated both teams as well as hampering Trinidad and Tobago.
Van Commenee seethed: “Of course I’m disappointed, especially in the jumps and the men’s relays.
“The 4x4 was appalling, no real effort, unforgivable really, and of course we expected an athlete in the 800m final for women.”
Farah, who won 10 races in a row earlier this year after moving his family to Oregon to be coached by Alberto Salazar, was delighted to claim gold in the 5,000m, seven days after being narrowly beaten in the 10,000m final.
“I’m very proud. I can’t believe it,” said Farah, who held off American Bernard Lagat as the race came down to a last-lap sprint. “I came so close in the 10k and I just wanted to do it in the 5k.
“Alberto just told me, ‘Do not let anyone pass’. Dejen Gebremeskel tried to come past me and I just had to hold him, hold him and then just dig in. I just had to try to relax; just do what I did in the 10k but get it right this time.”