Van Alphen aims to show 'dad's the way to do it'

At the Olympic Games in London, Belgian decathlete Hans Van Alphen missed out on a medal by 76 points.

It would have been the perfect way to complete the best year of his career on the track.

But from being so close to the podium at a major event, the 31-year-old is ready to make that step at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg in just over five weeks time.

Van Alphen is returning from a successful training camp in Stellenbosch, South Africa, as he prepares for the year's first major championship.

And he is determined to build on the success of 2012 where he won the Hypo-meeting in Gotzis, the biggest gathering of multi-eventers outside of the Olympics.

He will start his winter competition at the Flanders Open on February 10 in the 60m, long jump and shot put and is excited about his chances in the weeks ahead as he aims to peak.

He said: 'I still do not always feel like I am at my top. As long as I feel (like that), I will keep the motivation. If I find that I no longer make progress, the motivation will fade away.'

Van Alphen, speaking to nieuwsblad.be, said: 'My first big goal this year is the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Göteborg, but my main goal is the World Championships in Moscow. I want to shine.'

Three months ago he became a father for the first time. Girlfriend Kim and him are proud parents to daughter Sam and his family all came with him to South Africa.

Val Alphen added: 'It's a very different stage than usual for me. We left late December with not one, but three suitcases. Sam is doing very well.'

Now for the medal to go with the good times, he will be among the favourites in Göteborg in the heptathlon - where he has a personal best of 5938 - in an event that is made up of the 60m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1000m.

The form of Van Alphen was superb in 2012. He won in Gotzis with a personal best of 8519 points and was then so close to a top-three place at the Olympics.

His score of 8447 just missed out as Cuban Leonel Suarez was third with 8523 in a competition where Ashton Eaton, of the USA, won with 8869 and teammate Trey Hardee was second with 8671.