Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes announced yesterday this will be her final competitive season.

The 35-year-old will make her last appearance on a British track when she competes in Sheffield on August 21, immediately after the World Championships in Helsinki.

Although she is as yet undecided as to whether she will defend her Great North Mile title, Holmes is adamant her appearance at Don Valley Stadium will be her last on the track in this country.

She said: ''This will be my last track season.

''I won't be doing any more indoors and Sheffield will be my last track race in the UK.

''My previous British (1500 metres) record was set here in 1997 when I ran three minutes 58.07 seconds to break Zola Budd's 12-year-old record and I only just broke that at the Olympic Games.

''So I have fond memories of this place and I will be very sad to be racing my last race on the track in the UK.''

Although she is firm about the date of her final outing in Britain, Holmes still has to make a decision over whether to compete at the World Championships and could opt to go to next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne before calling it a day.

She said: ''The World Championships are obviously there on the agenda still and I will decide as I go through the season whether I am going to compete but it will depend on fitness levels and if everything goes to plan.

''If I do do the Commonwealth Games I won't do any more races apart from the Commonwealths next year.

"If I decide to go, I will retire at the Commonwealth Games. If I don't go there it will be before that.''

Holmes feels the time is right to embark upon the final season of a career which has seen her win medals at world, European, Commonwealth and Olympic level.

She said: ''At some stage it is going to come to an end and I have decided I don't want to go any further than the Commonwealth Games, if I even get there."