The heat is on for Greg Rutherford, whose first act here was to turn off the air conditioning in his hotel room. The long jumper has been through a personal hell of injury, illness and tainted dreams, but he is back on track and looking for a restorative medal.

The 22-year-old was rushed to hospital with tonsillitis and kidney and lung infections the day after the Olympic final in Beijing last year. It summed up a horrible year in which he considered quitting and then, ten days before the Olympic trials, learnt that his grand-father had terminal cancer. “I started resenting the sport,” he said as he reflected on 18 months of injury and illness. “Deep down I loved it, but all I ever saw was a rehab pool. I had not had the spikes on for so long. I went through the whole of 2007 with nothing but injury and it was devastating.”

It is a sign of his problems that his bow at the European Indoor Championships, starting today, will be his first appearance at a big indoor competition. He admits that at his lowest ebb, he thought about retiring. “I was depressed with the whole situation,” he said. “I fraternised with the idea of doing something else, of getting a job and living a normal life. As an athlete I don’t lead a normal life, I look at my mates and they all work and have fun over the weekend. My life is totally different to theirs. I don’t mind because I love doing sport as a job, but when I’m not doing it, that’s when it’s hard. And it seemed never-ending.”

Rutherford has had intermittent problems with his tonsils for years and will have them out after these championships. “I had tonsillitis eight times in one year,” he said. “It’s been ridiculous. They don’t like taking them out nowadays, but when I finally saw the surgeon he said they should have done it years ago. I’m always worried.”

The jumper from Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, is good enough to be in the shake-up for medals here. Anything over eight metres should put him in the frame and he admits that the arrival of Charles van Commenee as head coach of UK Athletics (UKA) has left no room for self-doubt. “You know where you stand exactly,” he said. “It’s go out there and do well and win medals and if we don’t perform, there will be consequences. We’re not going to be attacked but you know where you stand.”

Van Commenee said that he did not think the publicity generated by Dwain Chambers’s autobiography was an issue for UKA staff or athletes. “It’s one of those things, somebody’s writing a book, nobody’s reading it,” he said. “Have we ever read an interesting book from an athlete? Not me. It’s not an issue.”

Nevertheless, the Dutchman will talk to Chambers. “I will sit down and talk about issues like respect, acceptance, maybe insinuations, not only triggered by the book, but what happened over the last few years,” he said. “We have to respect the sport.”

Chambers is Great Britain’s best bet for a gold and could threaten Jason Gardener’s British 60 metres record of 6.46sec. Marilyn Okoro and Jenny Meadows will fancy their prospects in the 800 metres and Mo Farah’s impressive form could secure a gold in the 3,000 metres. Van Commenee said that he was looking for five or six medals. “We are only seven championships away from the big one in London we are all aiming at,” he said.

Okoro said that there was a new attitude among the Britain team. “Even before he arrived, all the objectives and his goals were really clearly set out for us and ultimately it’s for us to step up and produce medals,” she said. “We know what’s expected of us and what we can expect from him. There seems a lot more focus among the camp.”

The focus is sharper for Rutherford than most and, hence, he is immune to the broader picture and the renewed controversy surrounding Chambers. “I don’t know much about Dwain’s scenario,” he said. “I’m just going to jump and get on with it.”

Britain's ones to watch

Today

800 metres first round Marilyn Okoro and Jenny Meadows in action

60 metres hurdles final Andy Turner hoping to prove a point having lost his lottery funding

Tomorrow

3,000 metres Assuming he makes it through today’s heats, Mo Farah is a good bet for a gold

400 metres Richard Buck has been in good form for the men, while Donna Fraser hopes for a medal at the age of 36

Sunday

60 metres Dwain Chambers is the red-hot favourite, with Simeon Williamson and Craig Pickering offering good support

800 metres Okoro and Meadows will expect to make the podium

Long jump Greg Rutherford attempts to put his injury hell behind him