Shropshire Star

Sir Mo Farah leaves coach Alberto Salazar and returns to UK ahead of road career

Farah denied his decision to relocate has been influenced by doping allegations against Salazar.

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Sir Mo Farah is leaving American coach Alberto Salazar and will be trained for his marathon career by Paula Radcliffe’s husband Gary Lough.

Farah is to relocate from Portland in the United States to London but has denied his decision has been influenced by doping allegations against Salazar.

Salazar has always strenuously denied being involved in doping, and Farah has consistently stood by the coach by resisting calls to quit the coach’s Nike Oregon Project.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist insists he is coming home to London because he and his family missed living in the city where his eldest daughter Rhianna was born.

The British athlete said: “I’m moving back home. London … I really miss home. I’m going to be back there. I’m very excited.

“I’ll no longer be coached by Alberto Salazar – working with the Oregon Project. I want to thank each member of the Oregon Project and Alberto for what he’s done over the years.

Mo Farah will no longer work with Alberto Salazar, centre
Mo Farah will no longer work with Alberto Salazar, centre (Martin Rickett/PA)

“So I’m coming back and my new coach is going to be Gary Lough who coached Paula Radcliffe through her marathon so I’m very excited to start a new project, a new start.”

Lough helped to guide Radcliffe’s career in which the British athlete became established as the world’s best women’s marathon runner and won a host of big-city races, including London and New York.

Speaking in a video on Twitter, Farah added: “I can’t wait to be back home and can’t wait to see my team Arsenal at the Emirates.”

Farah won Olympic gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000m at the London Olympics in 2012 and repeated four years later in Rio.

The 34-year-old Somali-born runner told The Sun: “I’m not leaving the Nike Oregon Project and Alberto Salazar because of the doping allegations.”

Farah stressed he would have quit the partnership with Salazar if allegations against the coach had been shown to be true.

Farah added: “As I’ve always said, I am a firm believer in clean sport and I strongly believe that anyone who breaks the rules should be punished.

“I’m leaving simply because my family and I are moving back to London. We all loved spending our summer here and (Farah’s wife) Tania and I realised how much we have missed spending time with our friends and family – and the kids are so happy here, too.

“We want the kids to grow up in the UK. It’s the right thing to do for my family. But both Nike Oregon Project and Alberto are based in the USA, so it just would not be possible to continue our relationship from London.”

Farah last competed in London in the World Athletics Championships in August and will take to the capital’s streets next April in the London Marathon.

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