FARAH READIES HIS 2020 VISION FOR OLYMPICS
SIR MO FARAH claims winning the marathon at the 2020 Olympics would top everything he has achieved in his recordbreaking career.
Farah retired from the track in August as Britain’s greatest athlete after four Olympic and six world championship titles to concentrate on marathon.
The 34-year-old aims to go for a record fifth gold at the 2020 Games and says success in Tokyo would be his crowning achievement.
“It would definitely top everything,” said the surprise winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. “There’s no athlete who’s ever gone all the way up from the track straight to the marathon and been successful.”
Farah will be 37 by the time of the 2020 Olympics and would be the second-oldest winner of the men’s JONATHAN REA aims to make more history next year after his surprise second place in Sports Personality of the Year.
The threetime World Superbike champion (right), almost unheard of outside his native Northern Ireland and sport, confounded the bookies by coming within 3,000 votes of a shock win. He marathon by one month, behind Portuguese Carlos Lopes, who won in 1984. He is being coached by Paula Radcliffe’s husband and ex-trainer Gary Lough, who guided her to the women’s world marathon record, and insists he can succeed after dominating the 5,000 and 10,000m. “Definitely,” said Farah, who is in the process of moving back to London from Oregon. “I want to go all the way. It’s hard, it’s not easy. I’ve got my new coach Gary working with me and he’s already got me working hard, it’s exciting.” Farah’s debut as a marathon runner will be in London in April where he will be up against Olympic champ Eliud Kipchoge (left) and admits he misses the buzz of stadium crowds. “I do think about that and I miss being on the track,” he said. “It’s been amazing to have had the career I’ve had, but this is a new challenge.” said being shortlisted alone was “the icing on the cake of an incredible year”. The 30-year-old joked that he must have damaged a few phone bills in Northern Ireland on Sunday night and thanked his supporters via Twitter, saying he is “so humbled”. And added: “I’m definitely aiming for that fourth title.”