Mohamed "Mo"
Farah, CBE, is the 2012 Olympic, 2011, 2013 and 2015 World and 2010, 2012 and
2014 European champion in the 5000 metres, and the 2012 Olympic, 2013 and 2015
World and 2010 and 2014 European champion in 10,000 metres. On the track, he generally competes over 5000
m and 10,000 m, but also runs the 3000 metres and occasionally the 1500 metres.
He made his marathon debut in 2014 in London.
Born in Somalia and a naturalised British citizen, Farah is the European
record holder for the 1500 m, 10,000 m, half marathon andtwo miles, the British
indoor record in the 3000 m, the British record holder for the 5000 m, the
European indoor record holder for 5000 m, and the current indoor world record
holder for the two mile.
He is a great hero in
England and to them - repeat viewing of Mo Farah winning never gets boring. His latest
victory, in the men’s 5,000m world championships in Beijing, was his seventh
consecutive world and Olympic title. Yet he celebrated it like his first: with
a sonic boom as he crossed the line before falling humbly to his knees in
prayer.It has become second nature for Farah to wait until 600m before striking
for home. This time Caleb Ndiku, who won the 5,000m Commonwealth Games title
last year, decided to set him a new test by going for broke with 800m
remaining.The 22-year-old, who has run 3:29.50 for 1500m, drove hard in a brave
attempt to break Farah and at one point established a lead of two or three
metres but behind him there was no panic. Farah recalibrated and closed the distance
until with 100m to go !
Farah, who retained his
world 10,000m title on the opening day of the Championships, said after
finishing just over half a second clear of Kenya’s 22-yer-old Caleb Ndiku, that he really tested him. Ndiku commented:
For me getting a silveris the best moment ever. I wasn’t expecting that. And I
know I’m still not ontop getting back from injury.
Mo Farah crossed the line
in a time of 13min 50.38sec ahead of Kenya's Caleb Ndiku at Beijing's Bird's
Nest Stadium. Just over three minutes
into the race the 32-year-old dashed across eight lanes of the track to get a
cup of water !
MailOnline reports that
even making a pit stop for a cup of
water was not enough to stop Mo Farah from sprinting away to victory in the
World Championship 5,000m final.The unstoppable Britain, who had secured gold
in the 10,000m just days earlier, dashed across eight lanes of the track three
minutes into the race to get his hands on some refreshment.Fellow competitors
turned their heads in surprise as Farah, who had been bring up the rear of the
pack, ran wide to visit the water station.The distance runner poured the liquid
over his head, as all the athletes endured the searing Beijing heat in the
Birds Nest Stadium.After champion exerted extra energy to get fluids, the race
officials positioned themselves closer to the athletes for the remaining laps
of the race.
'I didn't feel great, my
hamstring was playing up a bit but the medical team helped me through it and to
make a double means so much to me. I was getting nervous for the first time in
a little while but thanks to all the medical team. It was amazing to do it.'
Though it sounds
incredible, I could not understand how there could be such a lapse – would not
fluids be made available nearer the running track ? - after breaking away from the crowd, Farah
then threw the cup away before rejoining the other runners taking part in the
final of the 5,000m. Shortly after that unnecessary excursion race officials moved the
drinks table further inside the track to aid athletes.
He crossed the line arms
outstretched and mouth open in 13min 50.38sec, with silver medallist Ndiku
trailing in 13:51.75. Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet clinched bronze in
13:51.86.Kenya's Ndiku, who won the Commonwealth Games 5,000m last summer in
Farah's absence, had warned that he and his compatriots had 'something planned'
for Farah. If they did it was very poorly conceived – with the slow pace in the
early stages playing into the hands of Farah, who had the best kick of anyone
in the race. The first lap was
tortuously slow – 73 second, and Farah could comfortably swing out wide to a
drinks station three and a half minutes in. Farah remained at the back until
there were seven laps remaining when he went to the front and was joined by
Ethiopia's Imane Merga and his Nike Oregon Project training partner Galen
Rupp.Ndiku took the lead with two laps to go. They were shoulder to shoulder
with just over a lap to run but he ran out of gas as Farah flew past. The
1:48.6 the Briton ran for the last 800m was equal to his two lap personal best
set in 2003.
Farah said his body felt
even more worn than usual after the 10,000m because of the hard Mondo track
surface in the Bird's Nest which has helped produce so many quick times but
takes its toll on the joints. On the flip side a kinder schedule meant he had
an extra rest day between the finals to recover.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
1st Sept. 2015.
