EMOTIONAL
ICON BOWS OUT WITH SILVER
SIR Mo Farah last night had to settle for silver in his final championship track race.
And Usain Bolt’s swansong ended in agony after he pulled up injured in the 4x100m men’s relay where Team GB took an amazing victory.
A sell-out crowd roared Mo on in the men’s 5,000m World Championship final. But he was beaten by Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris who ran the event in 13 minutes, 32.79 seconds.
Mo, 34, collapsed on the track and held his head in his hands before rushing to hug his wife Tania and their four children.
He said in a trackside interview: “I gave 110 per cent. I don’t think there was anything more I could have done. They worked as a team. The better man won.
“It’s amazing to serve my country and win medals for them. Anything is possible.”
Mo told how he had “give his all” during the race and reckoned the Ethiopians’ game plan could have cost him gold.
He said: “I was trying to cover every move and they had a game plan. One of them was going to sacrifice himself and that’s what they did tonight. I gave it all, I gave it all. I didn’t have a single bit left at the end. I thought it might be possible but my legs had had it.”
The GB athlete, who was born in Somalia and lives in Portland, Oregon in the US, reflected on how he lay on the track after being beaten.
He said: “I’ve finally, after crossing the line and having a couple of minutes to myself, realised that this is it.”
Gold winner Muktar, 23, pulled Farah’s famous “Mobot” pose in tribute.
Mo greeted fans in the crowd and posed for a selfie with legend Linford Christie.
Brits Chijindu Ujah, Adam Gemili, Daniel Talbot, and Nethaneel MitchellBlake lifted fans’ spirits with a win in a breath-taking relay.
They secured the third fastest time in history after finishing in 37.47 seconds.
The Team GB women’s relay team also triumphed in the 4x100 final last night, coming home in second place with 42.12 seconds.
Dina Asher-Smith, Asha Philip, Desiree Henry and Daryll Neita looked delighted with their efforts as they posed with the Union Jack flag as they celebrated their silver medal.