Farah set for World Half Marathon Championships

Farah will defend the 5,00m and 10,000m Olympic titles in Rio, both of which he claimed in spectacular fashion at London 2012.

With that goal in mind, the 32-year-old has made himself available for the British team for the World Half Marathon Championships on March 26 – a race he has never competed at before.

Farah is the British and European half marathon record holder and admits he hopes the race in Wales will help build his endurance ahead of the summer.

And he acknowledges that the opportunity to add to his ever-growing medal collection was too good to turn down.

"It will be a good chance to try to claim another world title,"said Farah. "I know the standard is incredibly high with athletes who really target and train specifically for the event, so I know it will be a hard race.

"I always get amazing support whenever I race in the UK and I hope this will help me along the way.

"My primary aim for 2016 is the Olympic Games in Rio in August but this race will be a good way to build my endurance before I return to the track in the summer.

"I hear the course in Cardiff is very fast and it may take a personal best to win the race but I'm up for the challenge."

Sportsbeat 2016