Farah will ‘miss the track’ after signing off with 5,000m win in Zurich
Farah is switching from track to the road.
Sir Mo Farah admitted he will “miss the track” after he signed off with a thrilling 5,000 metres victory at the Diamond League final in Zurich.
The four-time Olympic champion crossed the line in 13 minutes 06.05 seconds in a tight finish to the last track race of his career.
Farah was beaten to gold by Ethiopian Muktar Edris over the same distance at London’s World Championships earlier this month but he edged out his rival, who stumbled and came third in a photo finish with second-placed American Paul Chelimo.
Edris and Chelimo both finished in a time of 13 mins 06.09 secs – Farah winning by just 0.04s.
Farah said afterwards: “I wanted to win, and it is amazing that I have won, but it was hard work. I will miss the track, the people, my fans.
“I have enjoyed running in stadiums for a lot of years, but now first of all I will enjoy being with my family.”
The 34-year-old sat comfortably close to the back of the pack for the early stages of the race before moving to the front for the final lap.
He looked comfortable and in control as the pace increased before grimacing down the final straight as he called on every ounce of his pace to clinch a dramatic victory.
Farah, who won gold in the 10,000m at the World Championships before losing his 5,000m crown, was victorious in his last British track race in Birmingham last Sunday.
He will now switch his attention to road racing and wants it to be a fresh start, ditching ‘Mo’ to become known as ‘Mohamed’.
He said earlier this month: “My road name is Mohamed. I just feel like Mo is done. I need to forget about what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done.”
