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Mo Farahs greatest races

Written by 
Published in Athletics
Wednesday, 27 December 2023 01:33
In a year where the multiple global champion called time on his career, we look at some of his finest moments

In 2017, Mo Farah achieved his 10th successive global championships win in the 10,000m. A few days later, he finished second in the 5000m to win a 12th successive global medal. It made him the most dominant 5000m and 10,000m racer of all time.

The Newham & Essex Beagle, Britains most successful track and field athlete with four Olympic golds, was unique in setting European records from 1500m to the marathon.

As he bows out from the sport, we select his greatest competitions from an international career that started in 1999 when he ran the World Youth Championships.

2001 Grosseto European Junior 5000m: First, 14:09.91

Farah won by almost two seconds from Bruno Saramago. The Portuguese had a less auspicious career, peaking with a 13:59.20 in 2004, ultimately well under a minute slower than Farahs best.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2006 San Giorgio su Legnano European Cross Country Championships: First, 27:56

Finishing only 40th at the World Cross earlier that year, Farah was comfortably the class of the field and won by 10 seconds.

2009 Turin European Indoor Championships 3000m: First, 7:40.17 

Farah won his first major senior title on the track as he defeated Bob Tahri by two seconds.

Mo Farah in Turin 2009 (Mark Shearman)

2010 Barcelona European Championships 5000m: First, 13:31.18

Up against Jesus Espana who had beaten him in 2006, Farah ran the penultimate lap in 59.15 and the penultimate 200m in 28.6 but still had Espana and Hayle Ibrahimov on his shoulder. The Briton had more in the tank, though, and a 27.1 last 200m broke the opposition as he won by two seconds from Espana.

2011 Eugene 10,000m: First, 26:46.57

This was the race which showed Farah had gone from world-class runner to world beater. He produced a 42-second PB that was a European record, took half a minute off the British record and defeated a top-class field. The top nine broke 26:56 as Farah controlled the race with a 2:30 final kilometre and won by nearly two seconds from Imane Merga.

2011 Monaco 5000m: First, 12:53.11

Farah produced a 53-second last lap as he comfortably held off 2007 world champion Bernard Lagat. It was a 5000m UK record, improving his time from Zurich the previous year when he produced the first British sub-13 minute run. Ultimately it would be the fastest 5000m of his career.

2011 Daegu World Championships 10,000m: Second, 27:14.07 and 5000m: First, 13:23.36 

In the 10,000m Farah surged ahead extravagantly at 600m to give himself a clear lead at the bell, but he had attacked too early and could not respond when Ibrahim Jeilan kicked past in the last 25 metres.

Farah ran a better tactical race in the 5000m, holding the inside on the last lap and repelling a back straight challenge from Dejel Gebremeskel, who narrowly overtook him but could not get the inside. A last lap of 52.6 gave him Britains first global 5000m title since the 1900 Olympic team race!

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2012: London Olympics 10,000m: First, 27:30.42 and 5000m: First, 13:41.66

On British athletics Super Saturday, Farah won his first global 25-lap title with reasonable ease as he was chased home by training partner Galen Rupp of the USA. His last lap was 53.48. It made him the first Briton male or female to win an Olympic distance-running event.

In the 5000m Farah again controlled and delivered the perfect race, winning by 0.32 of a second from Gebremeskel. His last lap was a superb 52.94 and he ran a 2:56.25 last 1200m.

2013: Monaco 1500m: Second, 3:28.81 

Asbel Kiprop won in 3:27.72 but, behind him, Farah set a five-second PB and beat Steve Crams British and former world record (3:29.67), as well as Fermin Cachos European record (3:28.95).

He ran 2:47.8 for his last 1200m to go sixth all-time in the world at the time, far in excess of his position at his specialist events.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2013: Moscow World Championships 10,000m: First, 27:21.71 and 5000m: First, 13:26.98

In the 10,000m there were worries when Farah, ahead in the last few laps, was closed on menacingly by his 2011 conqueror Ibrahim Jeilan in the last 200m. This time, however, the Briton pulled away comfortably with a 12.82 final 100m to complete a 54.41 last lap.

In the 5000m he controlled the last 600m, completing a 2:22.12 final kilometre and 53.44 last lap to win by 0.28 of a second from Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet.

2014: Zurich European Championships 10,000m: First, 28:08.11 and 5000m: First, 14:05.82

Farah won the 10,000m, but not that decisively, from compatriot Andy Vernon (28:08.66). However, he took the 5000m by over two seconds as he won the shorter distance for the third successive time.

Mo Farah leads Andy Vernon (Mark Shearman)

2015 Birmingham Two miles indoors: First, 8:03.40

Not renowned for running fast in domestic meets, Farah was towed around the first mile in 4:03.9 before running a solo 3:59.5 final mile to take nearly a second off Kenenisa Bekeles world record, which had been set in the same stadium seven years earlier, as he won by over 10 seconds.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2015: Beijing World Championships 10,000m: First, 27:01.13 and 5000m: First, 13:50.38 

Farah needed a sub-13:20 second half in the 10,000m as he fought off the challenge of world cross-country champion Geoffrey Kamworor, who was to get his revenge in the world half marathon championships.

Though he took 5000m gold in his slowest global winning time and by the biggest margin of 1.37 seconds, this was one of Farahs hardest ever races due to Commonwealth champion Caleb Ndiku blasting a 56-second penultimate lap.

The Briton produced a 52.6 last lap to go past with 75m to go and his 80.5 final 600m was quicker than 800m winner David Rudisha managed in his gold medal run. Farahs 2:19.20 final kilometre was unprecedented in a 5000m.

2016: Cardiff World Half-Marathon Championships: Third, 59:59

Managed to gain the bronze in a sprint finish, albeit some distance behind winner Geoffrey Kamworor (59:10) who had fallen at the start.

2016: Rio Olympic 10,000m: First, 27:05.17 and 5000m: First, 13:03.30 

Farah won with the 10,000m with the fastest ever Olympic second half of 13:11 a time that would have won 19 of the previous Olympic races over 5000m. He fell early on and produced a 55.37 last lap and 1:56.61 last 800m as he unusally had to come from behind to beat Paul Tanui.

The 5000m was his fastest ever championship race as he produced the quickest ever Olympic final kilometre of 2:23.94 which contained a 52.83 last lap.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2017: London World Championships 10,000m: First, 26:49.51 and 5000m: Second, 13:33.22 

It was one of the fastest and greatest championship 10,000m races in history as the first seven bettered 27 minutes and Farah stretched his unbeaten record at the distance to six years in front of a joyous home crowd.

Farah won with a relatively modest 55.63 last lap which contained a few trips and near falls, as it came at the end of a gruelling 13:13.31 second 5000m and he won by 0.44 of a second. The runner-up was Ugandas Joshua Cheptegei, who went on to win the next three championships.

In the 5000m, and up against fresher rivals, Farah lost his first major outdoor track distance race for six years despite a 2:21 final kilometre and running five minutes for his last 2km as his earlier 25-lap efforts took their toll. He was beaten by Muktar Edris, 11 years his junior, as he was unable to assert control on the last lap.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2017 Zurich 5000m: First, 13:06.05 

In his last major track race Farah faced Edris again but this time he held the kerb throughout the last few laps in a thrilling 52.61 last lap, finishing just four hundredths of a second clear of the Ethiopian despite being baulked by London medallist Paul Chelimo, who pulled Farah back and was disqualified after initially being second.

2018 Chicago Marathon: First, 2:05:11

Gained his first (and only) marathon victory as he set a European record in the process off comfortably beating Mosinet Geremew, who went on to win two world silvers.

2019 Great North Run: First, 59:07

Won his sixth successive GNR in his fastest ever time of 59:07 as he set a European best (the downhill course makes it ineligible for records) and comfortably beat future world marathon champion Tamirat Tola who had finished third in the 2016 Olympic 10,000m.

Mo Farah (Mark Shearman)

2020 Brussels One hour race: First, 21,330m

Despite his championships dominance, Farah was never too keen to chase records but here he moved up to the hour and put together 10,000m splits of 28:11.9 and 28:08.4 before accelerating to set a world record.

What do you think his finest moment was?

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