The long-distance champion is pipped in his great push to win a last major title – but British men’s 4 x 100 relay team bag gold.
By: James Tapper / The Observer Photo Credit: Tim Ireland/AP
The tank has almost run dry. Mo Farah ended his last major track race with a silver medal in the 5,000m after a desperate lunge in the final few strides propelled him from fourth place to second, coming up just short in his quest for a career-capping win at the World Championships in London last night.
The 34-year-old, legs pumping as he tried to catch the leader, agony etched across his face, was beaten at a major championships for the first time in six years by Muktar Edris of Ethiopia.
“The last week or so has been incredible. I’ve really enjoyed the journey.”
—Mo Farah
Farah collapsed in disappointment, before picking himself up to jog around the track, composing himself and, occasionally, smiling for selfies and autographs with the thousands of fans in the stadium who had chanted his name and urged him on. Yet he was clearly disappointed not to end on a high.
“I thought I could get inside at the end, but my legs had had it,” he said, admitting that the 10,000m win last weekend on 4 August had taken even more out of him than in championships gone by. “London is my home and it has been fantastic to be here again. The last week or so has been incredible. I’ve really enjoyed the journey.”
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