“This is the most satisfying win of the four, it is incredible”, said the 33-year-old Somali-born Londoner.
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In the women’s high jump final, Spain’s Ruth Beitia won gold with a leap of 1.97m ahead of Bulgaria’s Mirela Demireva in second and Blanka Vlasic of Croatia in third.
“It shows I didn’t just fluke it in London”, added Farah, Britain’s most successful Olympic track and field athlete of all time.
Earlier in the evening Bianca Walkden claimed taekwondo bronze in the women’s +67kg event, but teammate Mahama Cho fell just short of the podium as he lost his bronze-medal match in the men’s +80kg division. You saw me sat at the back, but it wasn’t an easy last five lap burnout.
“It’s every athlete’s dream, but I can’t believe it”, Farah told reporters.
“But I’m happy with the result and when you play for your country there is some extra power it gives you and I think that drove me on the golf course”.
While athletics’ governing body the IAAF ruled in 2011 that female athletes whose testosterone levels were above a set level would have to use medication to bring those levels down, that decision was overturned previous year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“We’re not here to talk about the IAAF”, she said.
South African runner Caster Semenya completed a convincing victory in the 800m to win her first Olympic gold, four years after being denied gold by Russian dope cheat Mariya Savinova. Beitia won on countback from Mirela Demireva of Bulgaria and Blanka Vlasic of Croatia.
In the men’s javelin final, Youtube-coached world champion Julius Yego of Kenya could only claim silver behind Thomas Rohler of Germany. The flamboyant Jamaican athlete made history as it completed an unprecedented “triple-triple” – he has won the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay titles at three consecutive games.
Neymar sent Brazil into ecstasy as he clinched Olympic football gold.
Other pundits, including Gold medal Paralympian Dan Greaves and the Archbishop of York, echoed the call, saying Farah deserved to be decorated for his extraordinary contribution to British sport.
Earlier on Saturday, Leeds boxer Nicola Adams celebrated retaining her crown in the flyweight – the first British fighter to retain an Olympic title in 92 years.
Their success was the 13th gold, and 31st medal, in track and field events for the U.S. in Rio.
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.
The man who will surely be “Sir Mo” in the fullness of time said before the race that he was determined to win gold so he had a medal for each of his children.
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With 294 of 306 titles decided, the United States led the medals table with with 43 golds, with Britain in surprise second place with 27 to China’s 26.
