Sunday marked the top of an period for one of many best distance runners in historical past. 4-time Olympic champion Mo Farah hung up his racing sneakers on the Nice North Run in Newcastle, U.Ok. with a fourth-place end over 21.1K. Farah’s 10 international championship gold medals (4 Olympic and 6 World titles) make him essentially the most profitable male observe distance runner ever. Most will keep in mind Farah for his fierce racing model over 5,000m and the ‘Mo-Bot’ celebration that electrified tens of millions internationally throughout the London and Rio Olympics.
Farah’s profession is full of achievements which have solidified his legacy as one of many best long-distance runners in historical past. Here’s a countdown of essentially the most iconic moments of his profession.
5. Breaking the two-mile world file
In 2015, Farah set a world indoor file for 2 miles, working a jaw-dropping 8:03.40 on dwelling soil on the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix. This was the primary world file of his profession.
4. Chicago Marathon win
In his third try on the marathon distance, Farah struck gold by profitable the 2018 Chicago Marathon in a British nationwide file time of two:05:11. Many followers had questioned whether or not he may replicate the success he had on the observe on the roads, and his record-setting victory in Chicago settled the talk. This achievement additionally positioned Farah among the many elite firm of athletes who’ve gained Olympic gold and a world marathon main. Farah nonetheless holds each British distance file from the 10K to the marathon.
3. Celebrating with Usain Bolt
Whereas Usain Bolt and Farah by no means competed head-to-head besides on the soccer pitch, they typically interacted at worldwide observe and subject occasions, together with the Olympic Video games and World Championships, and have been every dominant of their occasions. Bolt was well-known for his trademark Lightning Bolt celebration after profitable races, and Farah turned well-known for the ‘Mobot’ celebration, the place he fashioned an ‘M’ form along with his arms above his head. The 2 have been seen swapping one another’s celebrations throughout the medal ceremony on the London 2012 Olympics, the place each Bolt and Farah gained two particular person gold medals.
2. Double gold on the 2016 Rio Olympics
It’s arduous to win, however some say it’s even more durable to defend your title while you’ve tasted glory. On the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Farah repeated his double gold medal success, defending his titles in each the 5,000m and 10,000m, and changing into solely the second man in historical past, after Finland’s Lasse Virén, to win each titles at successive Olympic Video games. Farah didn’t lose at a worldwide championship between 2012 and 2016, additionally profitable world titles in each occasions on the 2013 and 2015 World Athletics Championships–the primary man to win each distance titles at each international championships, a feat described because the “quadruple-double.”
1. Double gold on the 2012 London Olympics
Essentially the most iconic second of Farah’s profession got here on the 2012 London Olympics, when he secured two distance gold medals in entrance of a packed London Olympic Stadium. His victory within the males’s 10,000m marked Nice Britain’s first Olympic gold medal within the occasion, and it occurred throughout a night when two different British athletes additionally gained gold medals for the nation in the identical athletics session. Farah’s triumphs within the 5,000m and 10,000m occasions on dwelling soil elevated him to nationwide hero standing within the U.Ok., and his emotional celebrations in entrance of the house crowd stay unforgettable.
