Bolt, Farah and England plot beginnings of 2012 campaigns

Usain Bolt will open 2012 with some outdoor 400m races, while leading Brits Mo Farah and Hannah England will take to the boards

Comments 541302012-01-04+12%3A51%3A00Athletics+Weekly

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World 200m champion Usain Bolt will open his 2012 season with a couple of rare appearances over 400m next month in Jamaica.

The multiple world record-holder did not contest the long sprint last season, but in previous years he has often opened his racing campaign with one or two 400m races. In his last race over the distance, in 2010, he clocked 45.87, although his PB of 45.28 dates back to 2007.

“I always run quarters (400s) before the season and I will be starting in February,” said Bolt, the IAAF male athlete of the year, who over the winter has been on a new nutrition programme. “I think I will run at least two this season.”

One of those races will likely be at the Camperdown Classic on February 11, an event Bolt has raced the 400m at several times in the past.

Meanwhile, Mo Farah and Hannah England – the Athletics Weekly athletes of the year, as voted for by AW readers – have pencilled more racing dates into their diaries.

Farah, the world 5000m champion, will return to the scene of his sole indoor defeat from last year – the New Balance Boston Indoor Games.

12 months ago he was beaten by Dejene Gebremeskel over 3000m, but on February 5 Farah will hope to go one better when he competes over the mile.

The race will come just one week after Farah makes his 2012 season debut at the Aviva International Match in Glasgow, where he will race over 1500m.

He will follow that with an appearance at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix where he’ll contest the two miles, an event in which he could threaten the European indoor record of 8:13.1 that has stood to Emiel Puttemans for 39 years.

England, the world silver medallist, will contest her specialist event, the 1500m, at both the Aviva International Match in Glasgow on January 28 and the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix on February 18. In Glasgow England will be up against Charlene Thomas, the winner of the European Team Championships who looked set for a great 2011 season before injury got in the way.

England is the latest name to be announced for Birmingham, joining a list that already includes European indoor 3000m champion Helen Clitheroe, dual world bronze medallist Kim Collins and former world 100m record-holder Asafa Powell.