Farah wants repeat of record-breaking form (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Farah wants repeat of record-breaking form

4:58pm Friday 13th January 2012 in Olympics

World 5,000m champion Mo Farah is hoping a repeat of his indoor record-breaking heroics in Birmingham last year can help him to a golden 2012 in London.

The former Twickenham athlete, now based in the US, smashed the British and European indoor 5,000m records with a thrilling run of 13 minutes, 10.60 seconds at the National Indoor Arena in February.

Farah, who goes in the two-mile race in Birmingham this time, went on to win 5,000m gold and 10,000m silver at September’s World Championships in South Korea and the 28-year-old is out to repeat that feat at the London Olympics.

While the current world mark of 8:04.35 looks to be safe this winter, it is tipped Farah could dip under John Mayock’s 10-year British record of 8:17.06 next month.

He said: “The field at Birmingham will be world class, it always is, and it’s exactly what I need in an Olympic year,” said Farah, who starts his 2012 outdoor campaign in Gateshead in March.

“I don’t want to go to a meet and know that it will be an easy run.

“Right now I want to be racing against the best and being pushed to run faster – that allows me to work on my race strategy, to keep my head right during the race and to hopefully finish up with a positive result.

“Birmingham’s a pretty special place to me. I’ve competed there so many times and I’ve had some great races there.

“My family are always around when I’m competing in the UK and that’s something I really love.

“There are so many familiar faces in Birmingham and it’s important for me to keep up those connections now that I’m based in the US.”

The Aviva Grand Prix will be at the NIA in Birmingham on February 18.

The event is sold out, but for more information go to uka.org.uk/aviva-series or phone 0800 0556056.