Home at last and I aim to enjoy it

Christian Malcolm was my tip for gold and was magnificent in the early rounds of the 200m.

For him to be just two hundredths of a second away from a bronze is cruel but he knows what he is capable of and he's still so young.

Despite our disappointments there's still a lot for us to be proud of. The fact we didn't come home with more medals shows just how hard it is to finish in the top three at this level.

As for Edmonton, as a city, I cannot understand why everyone has been having a go.

I think a lot of the criticism from some sections of the British press in particular has been a load of nonsense.

From my perspective, the athletics was superb and I didn't get the 'Deadmonton' thing at all.

The atmosphere at the stadium-was excellent and if you come to a Championships that's all you can ask for.

If the only things you are interested in are the bars, clubs and nightlife then you are looking for the wrong thing. Besides, I know a few of the guys who went out after they finished competing (not myself, of course, I stuck to the shandy) and really enjoyed themselves.

The people in Edmonton are nice as pie and I did not come across one big-headed or arrogant Canadian.

The city was nice and I would definitely go back. It's got beautiful scenery and it's so clean and modern. I know it is probably a bit quiet compared to somewhere like London but then I like being out in the sticks. I enjoy the great outdoors and after I finished competing I found it very relaxing. I always wanted to go to Canada and it was everything I expected.

As for my battered body, I had a scan on my groin and hamstring a couple of days after I won bronze and there were a few tears but nothing too major.

I expect I will be sore for a few more days but I intend to give myself plenty of time to rest and get over what I went through.

With all the injury problems I picked up during the competition it really was a season packed into two days.

However, I can't blame the medical set-up in Britain for my problems in Canada. My physio and the support I get from UK Athletics is more than I could ask for and I went to the Championships in very good shape. The injuries were things you just pick up during a competition.

All decathletes suffer a great deal of wear and tear on their bodies and that's no surprise because our bodies weren't really made for it.

I think I'm probably a little bit more susceptible than most but a few of the other top guys have had problems as well.

What I need to do now is have a complete rest and I intend to take off to the countryside to do some fishing and pony trekking with my girlfriend Lisa for a couple of weeks. After spending nearly two months this year in Estonia, America and Canada I'm looking forward to spending some time at home.