The running champion who simply went too Farah – Mo’ than he shoulda
LONDON: Mo Farah gritted his teeth and punched the air before performing his trademark “Mobot” to the delight of an enraptured crowd that had watched him outsmart and outsprint one of the best 5 000m fields ever assembled.
But what Farah did next threatens to overshadow his exploits on the track.
As British teammate Andy Vernon approached to offer a handshake, Farah turned his back on him.
Vernon, who finished 15th, claims that Britain’s double Olympic champion then told him to “f**** off ”. The outburst marred Farah’s first race in six weeks.
He hadn’t been on the track since competing in Eugene, Oregon, on May 29 before the doping storm surrounding his coach, Alberto Salazar, began. Farah’s remained loyal to his coach but says the whole affair’s “killing” him.
The bad blood between Farah and Vernon dates back to an ill-tempered exchange on Twitter earlier this year.
Farah branded Vernon an “embarrassment” and mocked him by saying, “Come back when you win something decent”. Vernon had criticised the lack of competition Farah faces when he runs in Britain.
Ver non said he came to Lausanne to “bury the hatchet”: “I went to shake his hand and he turned his back on me and told me to f*** off. It’s disgraceful. I’m glad you saw it,” Vernon told Sportsmail.
“I’m going up to Font Romeu in a few days and I just wanted to end it. It’s in the past. I don’t know why we can’t just forget about it. With all the bad publicity he’s getting, I’d have thought he’d try to make a good name for himself again…”
When Farah was asked if there had been an issue with Ver non after the race, he replied: “I don’t know – not that I saw.” – Daily Mail