The 33-year-old made his decisive burst as the leaders swung into the final 100m before holding off Kenya’s fast-finishing Paul Kipngetich Tanui to win in 27:05.18.
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In his spectacular win, Farah also defended his 10,000m title.
“It’s never an easiest thing when you know you’ve got a target on your back”, Farah said. I thought about my family. That is why I was quite emotional at the end because it nearly went.
“The twins from 2012 (Aisha and Amani, who were born shortly after the London Games) have got one each and Rihanna’s missing one, so I thought, “I can’t, I can’t”. I believed in myself”.
Farah’s blistering final lap ensured he became the first British runner to win three Olympic titles and he is now the favourite to add a fourth in the 5,000m next weekend.
Mo Farah was knocked down but not off track as the Olympic 10,000 metres final ended with a gold medal and a very happy daughter. Finland’s Lasse Viren is the only other athlete to accomplish the “double double”, winning and defending the gold medals in the 10,000 and 5,000 at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976.
Kenyan coach Julius Kirwa has already baited Farah, claiming his athletes had been training like an army squadron to finally take on the Brit as a team.
Talking about his fall he added: “I wasn’t going to let it go”.
There was no doubt that Farah, the defending champion and two-time World champion over the distance, was the heavy favorite heading into this race.
Mo Farah sensationally retained his Olympic 10,000m crown last night- despite being knocked to the ground by his own training partner.
Britain’s Mo Farah celebrates after winning the gold medal during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2016.
“I’m in decent shape”, he had said. I got up quickly.
Ennis-Hill’s score of 6,775 points was her best since London 2012, but she could not live with Thiam, who produced five personal bests from her seven events.
In the men’s long jump final, Jeff Henderson won gold for the United States of America with a leap of 8.38m.
USA’s Tori Bowie won the silver medal in 10.83.
“You can’t imagine how hard you work for it and in one moment it could have gone”.
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Henderson also became the 22nd American to win the event, but the first since 2004, with a victory even more dramatic than Farah’s.
