World and Olympic heptathlon medallist, Kelly Sotherton, has dropped her usual seven events and will now concentrate on the 400m as she prepares for London 2012.
Sotherton was a bronze medallist at Athens in 2004 and at the 2007 World Championships, but has not competed in a heptathlon since 2008. That year she finished second at the World Indoor Championships and at the Beijing Olympics she finished fourth as well as helping her team mates in the 4×400m to fifth place.
In a three event challenge at the 2008 Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix, Sotherton clocked 52.47 for the 400m to jump to the top of the UK indoor rankings that season. Her performance led to her taking part in the 4×400m in Beijing where she ran a 50.35 split, faster than that of individual Olympic Champion, Christine Ohuruogu.
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Injury plagued the 2006 Commonwealth Champion and she was forced to cut short her 2009 and 2010 seasons. She hopes that dropping the heptathlon will give her body the chance to keep going for another two years in order for her to compete at the London Olympics.
Sotherton confirmed the switch, commenting “Sadly I’m no longer a heptathlete, but a 400m runner. Change is as good as a rest – I’ve had lots of that too! I’m under no illusions, this will be blooming hard!”
Kirsty Page, Sportsister
The Women’s Sports Magazine
