Mo farrow autobiography
Mo Farah
Somali-British track and field player (born )
"Mohamed Farah" redirects here. For other people of the same name, see Mohamed Farah (disambiguation).
Farah at the Diamond League in Doha | |
| Birth&#;name | Hussein Abdi Kahin |
|---|---|
| Full&#;name | Mohamed Muktar Jamah Farah |
| Nationality | British |
| Born | () 23 March (age&#;41)[1] Gabiley, Somalia |
| Monuments | |
| Occupation | Runner |
| Years&#;active | – |
| Height | &#;cm (5&#;ft 9&#;in) |
| Weight | 58&#;kg (&#;lb)[1] |
| Spouse | Tania Nell &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
| Website | |
| Country | Great Britain |
| Sport | Athletics/Track, Long-distance running |
| Event(s) | 10, metres, metres, metres, Half marathon, Marathon |
| University team | St Mary's University Twickenham, London |
| Club | Newham and Essex Beagles, London |
| Coached by | |
| Olympic finals | |
| World finals |
|
| Personal bests | |
Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah[6] (born Hussein Abdi Kahin;[7] 23 March ) is a Somali-British former long-distance runner.
Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) generate him the most successful male track distance runner in the history of the sport, and he is the most prosperous British track athlete in latest Olympic Games history.
Farah is the and Olympic gold medallist in both the 5,&#;m and 10,&#;m. He is the second athlete, after Lasse Virén, to win both the 5,&#;m and 10,&#;m titles at successive Olympic Games. He also completed the 'distance double' at the and World Championships in Athletics.
He was the first man to defend both distance titles in both major global competitions; a feat described as the 'quadruple-double'.[8][9] After finishing second in the 10, metres at the Earth Championships, Farah had an unbroken streak of ten global ultimate wins (the 5,m in , the double in , , and , and the 10,m in ).
The streak ended in Farah's final championship route race, when he finished second to Ethiopia's Muktar Edris in the 5, metres final.
On the track, Farah mostly competed over 5, metres and 10, metres, but has run competitively from 1, metres to the marathon.
In , he indicated his intention to switch wholly to road racing following victory at his final track race, the IAAF Diamond League 5, metres final. He won the Chicago Marathon in a moment of , a European record.[10] His running style has been described as bouncy and tactical,[11][12] which he has attempted to alter for a more effective and energy-saving stride pattern, especially in the longer distances.[13] Farah runs distance races tactically, a style which is aided by his especially quick sprint finalize .
His tactics were described in Athletics Weekly: "(Farah) could dash 24 strong laps[14] of the track, which most of his East African rivals could compare , before a blistering metre sprint to the line, which none of them could."[15]
Born in present-day Somaliland, the then Hussein Abdi Kahin was trafficked from Djibouti to London under the identify of another child, Mohamed Farah, at the age of nine where he was forced into child labour.
He adopted the name as his own thereafter, becoming a British citizen.[7] He ran for Newham and Essex Beagles athletics club, training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham from to He did not reveal that he was a victim of trafficking until
Farah is the current world tape holder for the one hour run (21, m) and the current European record holder for the outdoor 10, m ().
He is also the current British record holder for the 3, m () and 5, m (). He formerly held the world best for the short track two miles at (broken by Josh Kerr in with an clocking), and also formerly held the European top in the outdoor two mile () and m (), until Jakob Ingebrigtsen broke the 2 mile in with a unused world best of and the 3,m in with a nature record time of Farah was also the former British concise track record holder for the 3, m, at + (broken by Sam Atkin in with ).
Farah also held the m British Record () which was broken by Josh Kerr in with a time of
Farah was the first British athlete to win two gold medals at the same nature championships. His five gold medals at the European Athletics Championships made him the most flourishing male athlete in individual events in the championships' history.
It is now clear that Sir Mo did not wish to share some of his tough early experiences and we respect the decisions he made both then and now. Super Saturday. On the most electric late hours in the history of British sport, Mo Farah braved the pain and punishment to seize Olympic gold in the 10,m - and in the process went from being a talented athlete to a national treasure. Seven days later, Mo seized his second gold at the m to go where no British distance runner has gone before.He has won the European Athlete of the Year award and the British Athletics Writers Association British Athlete of the Year award more than any other athlete, three times and six times respectively. In , Farah won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.[16] Farah was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year Honours for services to athletics.[17]
Early being and education
Hussein Abdi Kahin (Somali: Xuseen Cabdi Kaahin) was born on 23 March [18] in the Somali Democratic Republic.
His father died in the Isaaq Genocide when he was aged four, and he then became separated from his mother.[19] He spent a few years in Mogadishu as a child.[20] At the age of nine he was illegally trafficked to the United Kingdom via Djibouti, when he was given the call Mohammed Farah and was forced to work as a local servant.
He was flown from the country by a chick he had never met, and made to look after another family's children. He obtained British citizenship in July under the name Mohamed Farah. These aspects of his background were not made public until July ,[7] and a barrister told him that there was a chance that he might lose his British nationality as it was obtained by misrepresentations; the Abode Office, however, assured him that he would not face any repercussions.[19][21]
For the first years he was in Britain, he was not allowed to go to school, but when he was 11 or 12 he began to attend Year 7 at Feltham Community College, where staff were told he was a refugee from Somalia.[7] His athletic talent was first identified by physical education teacher Alan Watkinson.[22] Farah's ambition was to develop a car mechanic or engage as a right winger for Arsenal football club.[23][24]
Sporting career
Early years
Farah joined the Borough of Hounslow Athletics Club in west London.[25][26] He represented Hounslow at cross-country in the London Youth Games as an under[27] In , at the age of 13, he entered the English schools cross-country championships and finished ninth.
The following year he won the first of five English school titles.[22] Recognising his talent, athletics philanthropist Eddie Kulukundis paid the legal fees to conclude Farah's naturalisation as a British citizen, allowing him to commute to competitions without visa issues.[28][29]
Farah's first major title was in the metres at the European Athletics Junior Championships,[30] the matching year that he began practice at St Mary's University, Twickenham.
That year, Farah became one of the first two athletes in the newly formed Endurance Performance Centre at St Mary's. He lived and trained at the college, and took some modules in an access course before becoming a full-time competitor as his career progressed.
Mo Farah - Wikipedia: In October , he launched a publication titled Mo Farah, Twin Ambitions: My autobiography in Canary Wharf, London. [] Farah has a large following on social media. This includes roughly million followers on Twitter, million on Facebook and million on Instagram.– First titles and personal bests
In , Farah moved in with Australian Craig Mottram and a group of Kenyan runners that included 10, m world number one Micah Kogo. "They doze, eat, train and rest, that's all they do but as an athlete you have to do all those things.
Running with Craig made me perceive more positive," Farah said. "If I ever want to be as good as these athletes I've got to work harder. I don't just want to be British number one, I want to be up there with the best."[22]
In July , Farah recorded a time of 13 minutes seconds for m to become Britain's second-fastest athlete after Dave Moorcroft.
A month later, Farah won the silver medal in the European Championship m in Gothenburg. Coaches Alan Storey and Mark Rowland made sure that Farah remained competitive and a few words from Paula Radcliffe before the &#;m final inspired Farah.
He has stated that: "She said to me, 'Go out and be brave. Just believe in yourself'."[22] In December , Farah won the European Cross Country Championships in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy.[31]
During the European Indoor Championship Farah fell and amid confusion started running in the incorrect direction.[23] Farah represented the UK at m in the Planet Championships in Osaka, Japan.
Farah finished sixth in a moment of [32][33]
In May , Farah ran 10, m events, which was the fastest UK men's time for almost eight years. However, he was knocked out before the m final at the Olympics in Beijing.
– British records and European champion
In January , Farah set a new British indoor record in the &#;metres, breaking John Mayock's record with a time of 7 minutes seconds in Glasgow.[34] A few weeks later, he broke his own record by more than six seconds with a time of 7 minutes at the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham,[35] a act which commentator Steve Cram called "the best performance by a male British distance runner for a generation".[36] Farah attributed his good form to a spell of winter training at altitude in Ethiopia and Kenya.[37] In March he took gold in the &#;m at the European Indoor Championships in Turin, recording a time of 7 minutes [38]
Farah competed at the Nature Championships in Athletics: he was in the leading pack prior on in the metres race and eventually finished seventh – the best by a European runner.
TWIN AMBITIONS is much more than an autobiography by a great Olympic champion. It's a moving human story of a man who grew up in difficult circumstances, separated from his family at an first age, who struggled to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to change into Britain's most decorated Olympic track-and-field athlete ever.
After the championships, he scored a victory in his first road competition over 10&#;miles, winning the Great South Run in to become the third fastest Briton in spite of strong winds.[39]
Farah was one of the favourites to upset Serhiy Lebid's dominance at the European Cross Country Championships.[40] However, Lebid was never in contention as Farah and Alemayehu Bezabeh were some distance ahead throughout the run.
Farah was overtaken by Bezabeh in the latter stages of the race, departing the Briton with a second consecutive silver medal at the competition.[41] He did not run to attend the medal ceremony, however, as he collapsed immediately after the race and needed medical attention.[42] After a finalize third place behind Edwin Soi at the BOclassic,[43] Farah competed in the short course race at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country.
He was the favourite to win and surged ahead to build a comfortable steer . However, he appeared tired in the latter stages and finished third behind British runners Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon. Farah again required post-race medical attention and subsequent tests revealed he had low levels of iron and magnesium.
Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals four Olympic and six World titles make him the most successful male path distance runner in the history of the sport, and he is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history. Farah is the and Olympic gold medallist in both the 5, m and 10, m. He also completed the 'distance double' at the and World Championships in Athletics. He was the first dude to defend both distance titles in both major global competitions; a feat described as the 'quadruple-double'.He was prescribed supplements for the condition and his high altitude training plans in Kenya were unaffected.[44]
Farah won the London 10, in late May in a time of , in the process beating 10K world record holder Micah Kogo.[45] His success continued the tracking week at the European Cup 10,&#;m.
There, he improved his track best by nearly 16 seconds, finishing in a hour of Farah won by a margin of over forty seconds ahead of second placed Abdellatif Meftah.[46] After training in Africa, he returned to Europe for the European Athletics Championships.
He took the 10,&#;metres gold medal, overtaking Ayad Lamdassem with two laps to go and finishing the race unpressured in a time of This was Farah's first major title and also the first European gold medal in the event for Excellent Britain.[47] He then went on to win the &#;m, beating Jesús España and becoming only the fifth man in the year history of the European Championships to achieve the &#;m/10,&#;m double, and the first for 20 years, following in the footsteps of the Czech Emil Zátopek in , Zdzislaw Krzyszkowiak of Poland in , Finland's Juha Vaatainen in and Salvatore Antibo, of Italy, in [48][49]
On 19 August , at a Diamond League meeting in Zürich, Farah ran &#;m in , breaking David Moorcroft's long-standing British record and becoming the first ever British athlete to dash under 13 minutes.[50]
In December , Farah was named track-and-field player of the year by the British Olympic Association.[51] He closed the year at the BO classic and just missed out on the 10, m title, losing to Imane Merga in a sprint finish by &#;seconds.[52]
– European and British records, and world medals
was a prosperous year for Farah, beginning on 8 January at the Edinburgh Cross Country, where he overcome the top four finishers of that year's European Championships to take victory in the extended race.[53]
In February , Farah announced that he would be transferring to Portland, Oregon to perform with new couch Alberto Salazar, train alongside Galen Rupp, and avoid the attention of the British tabloids.[54][55] On 19 February in Birmingham, England, Farah broke the European &#;m indoor log with a time of , at the same time taking ten seconds off the year-old British indoor record of Nick Rose.[56] On 5 March , he won gold in the metres at the European Indoor Championships.
On 20 March, Farah also won the NYC Half Marathon in a time of , a new British record.[57][58] He and training partner Galen Rupp had originally planned on running a 10,&#;m race in New Zealand. However, after the race was cancelled due to the Christchurch earthquake and spoil done to the track, they entered the half-marathon in Recent York.
On 3 June , at a Diamond League encounter in Eugene, Oregon, Farah won the Prefontaine Classic's 10,&#;m event in , setting a modern British and European record.[59] On 22 July , at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco, he set a new British national record in the &#;m with a time of [60] Farah edged out American Bernard Lagat to win the race.[60]
In the World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea, Farah made a major breakthrough on the world stage by taking the silver medal in the 10, m and then the gold in the m.[61] He became the first British guy to win a World Championships medal over either distance.[citation needed] Farah had in fact been more strongly favoured to obtain the 10,&#;m title, but was narrowly beaten in a last lap sprint by Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan.
British long-distance legend Mo Farah revealed during a BBC documentary, titled "The Real Mo Farah," that he was taken to the United Kingdom at nine years old under the name of another child.
In the &#;m, he overcame Lagat, beating him into second place. Following the race, Dave Moorcroft, former metres world record holder, hailed Farah as "the greatest male distance runner that Britain has ever seen".[62]
At the European Championships in June , he won the m.
This then made Farah the first runner to win this European title more than once.[63]
Double Olympic champion
At the London Olympics, on 4 August, Farah won the 10,&#;m gold in a second of This was Great Britain's first Olympic gold medal in the 10,&#;m, and came after two other gold medals for the country in the equal athletics session.[64][65] His training spouse, Galen Rupp of the Merged States, took second place.
At the time both runners were a part of the Nike Oregon Project coached by Alberto Salazar. Farah stated that he would observe his Ramadan quick later in the year.[66] On 11 August , Farah made it a long-distance double, winning the metres in a period of [67] The noise from the crowd in the 5, m race was so blaring it made the camera vibrate and distorted the photo-finish image.[68] He dedicated the two golds to his twin daughters.
On 23 August , Farah returned to the track at a Diamond League meet in Birmingham, where he capped off a winning season with another victory over a distance of two miles (&#;km).[69]
CBE
Following his successes, Farah was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours for services to athletics.[70][71] The move was met with anger by many in the general public, including erstwhile Minister of Sports Gerry Sutcliffe, who felt that Farah instead deserved a higher accolade.[72][73] Farah's former physical education teacher Alan Watkinson similarly indicated that he was disappointed that Farah was not knighted and that the verdict "discredits the system although it's still a fantastic achievement for Mo and well deserved."[73] However, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg cited Farah's Olympic double gold win in his New Year's message and Autumn conference,[74][75] and David Cameron in August expressed support for a knighthood for Mo Farah.[76]
m record and world medals
On 19 July , at the Herculis meeting in Monaco, Farah broke the European m record with a period of The feat meant that he was the sixth fastest man ever over the distance, overtaking Steve Cram's year-old British record and Fermín Cacho's year-old European record.[77] It also made Farah the seventh man, behind Saïd Aouita, Daniel Komen, Ali Saïdi-Sief, Hicham El Guerrouj, Augustine Kiprono Choge and Bernard Lagat to break both the barrier in the metres and the minute barrier in the metres, as well as the only athlete in history to jog sub , sub minute and sub minute for metres, metres and 10, metres respectively.
Additionally, he has a sub 1 hour run in the half-marathon.
It is now clear that Sir Mo did not aspire to share some of his difficult early experiences and we respect the decisions he made both then and now. Super Saturday. On the most electric night in the history of British sport, Mo Farah braved the pain and punishment to seize Olympic gold in the 10,m - and in the process went from being a talented athlete to a national treasure. Seven days later, Mo seized his second gold at the m to go where no British distance runner has gone before.The following month, Farah won the London Diamond League Anniversary Games' metres event in a time of seven minutes and seconds.[78] He twice broke the national record in the half-marathon, first on 24 February in New Orleans, then broke his own record on 15 September in the BUPAGreat North Run.[citation needed]
On 10 August , Farah stayed in front of Ibrahim Jeilan to conquer the 10, m event at the World Championships in Moscow.
The victory was his fourth global title.[79] On 16 August , Farah won the 5, m event, in the process becoming double world and Olympic champion.[80] After this victory, BBC commentator Brendan Foster and Sebastian Coe called Farah 'Britain's greatest ever athlete'.[81] Farah became only the second man in history to win long-distance titles at successive editions of the Olympics and World Championships, after Kenenisa Bekele's –09 feat.[82] He was the first British athlete to win two individual gold medals at a World Championships.[79][83][84]
In December , Farah was the second favourite, behind Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray, to become the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
When he was asked what drove him to retain pushing back the boundaries of athletic accomplishment, he noted sprinter Usain Bolt's record breaking streak as a motivating example of what is possible for all dedicated athletes.[85]
Farah was a finalist for the IAAF World Competitor of the year award.
In preparation for his marathon debut, he also extended his workout schedule to miles a week.[13]
Double European gold in Zürich
Farah began preparing for the year's London Marathon, his first such run.
He described running the event as a longstanding ambition of his, particularly to act so in London.[86] Farah finished in eighth place in a time of This was outside Steve Jones' GB record, but set a new English national record.[87]
Farah was due to strive at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
However, he withdrew due to illness from a stomach ailment and an infection caused from having a tooth removed.[88] Farah later appeared in Zürich at the European Athletics Championships. He successfully defended his m title and won a gold in the 10, m, thus completing another major championship double.[89] This made him the most successful individual in the history of the European Athletics Championships, with five titles to his name.[90]
On 7 September , Farah competed in the Great North Run, a British half marathon.
He won the race with a personal best time of , exactly 1&#;hour.[91]
World and European records
On 21 February , Farah broke the indoor two-mile world record at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix. He ran an to break Kenenisa Bekele's record.[92] On 22 March, Farah broke the European record for half marathon in Lisbon.
He ran a time of 59 minutes, 32 seconds, surpassing the record set 14 years previously by Spain's Fabián Roncero.[93] He repeated his long-distance gold medal double at the World Championships in Athletics.[94] His win in the 10,m made him the oldest World Championship winner in that event, at age [95]
Double-Double Olympic Golds at Rio
On 26 March, Farah received a bronze medal in the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, finishing in , less than one second ahead of Abayneh Ayele.[96][97] On 20 February, Farah won the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix m event.[98] On 5 June , Farah broke the year-old British metre log set by Moorcroft by winning the Diamond League in Birmingham, a win he dedicated to the recently deceased boxer Muhammad Ali.[99] In July Farah arrange the concurrent world-leading time in the m in winning the Diamond League in London.[] He won the 10,m at the Diamond League in Eugene, in a time of which remained the second-fastest time in the world of the year.[]
On 13 August, Farah won a gold medal in the 10, metres at the Rio Olympics, making it the first time a Briton had won three athletic gold Olympic medals.[] After organism accidentally clipped on the help of the heel by American Galen Rupp on the tenth lap he fell,[] but went on to win gold with the time of Rupp slowed after Farah's fall to confirm his condition and finished in fifth place with a occasion of In the final lap Farah battled Paul Tanui, who took the lead with metres remaining.
Farah edged him out with metres to go. Tanui finished in second place with a time of []
On 20 August, Farah went on to win a second gold medal in the 5, metres at the Rio Olympics. Coming into the 31st Olympiad, Farah was trying to win gold medals in the 10, metres and 5, metres to double his success from the London Olympics.
It is now clear that Sir Mo did not aspire to share some of his difficult early experiences and we respect the decisions he made both then and now. Super Saturday. On the most electric night in the history of British sport, Mo Farah braved the pain and punishment to seize Olympic gold in the 10,m - and in the process went from being a talented athlete to a national treasure. Seven days later, Mo seized his second gold at the m to go where no British distance runner has gone before.Farah held off the lead he had fix and finished with a moment of , making it only the second time someone has retained the m and 10,m Olympic titles, after Lasse Virén of Finland in and [] In September , he won the Great North Run for a record third consecutive year.[]
In , he was the fastest person from the European continent over two middle distance events and three long-distance events; the metres, metres, metres, 10, metres and the half-marathon respectively.[] His ninth global title, the m in Rio, made him outdo Kenenisa Bekele as the most frequent winner of gold in history for major long-distance events.
He remained unbeaten in in the m as well as in six races over the 10,m and 5,m distances.[]
Tenth world title and track retirement
Farah announced that he would switch from track events to the marathon after the World Championships in Athletics.[] He won the 10,m event,[] and came second in the 5,m event after Ethiopia's Muktar Edris.[][]
Farah won his final two track events, in the Diamond league, in Birmingham and Zurich.[][] On 24 August , he won his closing 5,m in the Diamond league, finishing in , in a final sprint against Paul Chelimo and Muktar Edris just behind in [][]
On 20 August , Farah again reiterated his judgment to move to the marathon full-time, and caused headlines when he announced after running his last 10,m race on British soil at the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham that he would never again run in a GB vest.[]
On 10 September , Farah won the Fantastic North Run for a document fourth consecutive time.[] He finished in , 6 seconds ahead of Jake Robertson.[]
On 31 October, Farah split from Alberto Salazar in order to be coached by Gary Lough, husband and former coach of Paula Radcliffe.
Salazar stated that the split was mutual and he would be happy to advise Farah in the future.[]
Since Full-time marathon runner
In March , in preparation for the London Marathon, Farah won the inaugural London Huge Half Marathon, his first race in six months.[][] On 22 April , Farah came third in the London Marathon in a time of , comfortably beating the British record of set by Steve Jones in [][] On 9 September Farah won the Great North Scamper for a record-extending fifth consecutive time.[] At the Chicago Marathon Farah claimed his inaugural gold medal in the marathon distance[] and in the process position a new European record of 2 hours 5 minutes and 11 seconds, an improvement by 37 seconds.[]
Planning a footpath return
In February , Farah announced he planned to run again in the London Big Half Marathon in March [] In an interview, he also stated that he is considering competing in the TokyoOlympics in , which, if confirmed, would tag his fourth Olympic games.
As well as stating that this would depend on whether his wife and kids "let him",[] he reflected on his route retirement, saying:
"I was sincere and said I was done with the track but part of me missed it. I feel like I can still win medals and do as well as I have over the years."[]