Mo Farah completed the Olympic “double double” as he claimed his fourth Games gold medal, retaining his 5,000 metres title a week after his second 10,000m victory.
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The 33-year-old is now officially Britain’s most-successful ever track and field athlete after coming out on top in the men’s 5,000m at Rio 2016.
“It’s been incredible. I just want to go home now and see my lovely kids”. “I did it in London and that was incredible and now four years later to do it again, there’s no words”.
“It’s every athlete’s dream but I can’t believe it”, said Farah after posing for selfies with spectators in the crowd and catching up with his wife Tania.
Gold medallist Britain’s Mo Farah celebrates on the podium for the Men’s 5000m during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 20, 2016.
In the women’s 4x400m relay, the United States collected their sixth straight gold in a streak going back to Atlanta 1996, with Allyson Felix bumping her career gold medal tally up to six.
China picked up more medals than Britain with 70 but with 26 of them gold and only one more athlete left to compete, the nation can not overtake Team GB.
Farah, who trains in OR under ex-marathon great Alberto Salazar, said watching Ethiopian distance legend Kenenisa Bekele medalling had been an inspiration.
Farah has now equalled Finland’s Lasse Viren, who too won both titles in 1972 and 1976.
Farah’s 5,000m triumph secured the “double-double” after his successes at London 2012, but his defence of the 10,000m title nearly faltered when he was tripped.
“At the beginning I felt a bit exhausted but I got going again”. After so many races where the rest of the field played into his hands by going steadily and opening the door for a last-lap burn-up, Farah was initially presented with a different challenge as Gebremeskel and Gebrhiwet set off at a hot pace.
“At the beginning I felt a bit exhausted but I got going again”. “I just really wanted a real team effort”. He has lost just one 5,000-meter race since 2011, when he moved to Oregon to work with coach Alberto Salazar: the 2013 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, which he ran while battling a stomach virus.
“There is the 2017 World Championships and I would like to be able to go on the track in London, but then after that I would like to go on the roads”.
“I hate to lose”. You’ve got to do your homework and that’s what I’ve done over the years.
Farah put in a typically astute performance before producing a trademark strong finish to hold off a late charge from Paul Chelimo and take victory in a time of 13 minutes and 3.30 seconds.
Semenya, the London 2012 silver medalist, has had to suffer aspersions around her gender in recent years.
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He added: “To follow on from London 2012 and the home comforts that came with hosting a Games and out-perform ourselves here is a piece of history that the nation can be hugely proud of”.
