Double-chasing Farah insists Scots patter-merchant has the chance of a shock medal

had, it’s going to be difficult for him to get a medal.”

With just two races left in his glittering championship career, Farah won’t be content to coast to the finishing line next weekend and he admits his mean streak is coming out.

He knows his rivals have been plotting to seize their last chance to knock him off his perch – especially after seeing the way his African challengers ganged up on the Brit in Friday’s epic 10,000 finale.

He sa id : “People ta ke my calmness for weakness. If I was weak do you think I would have won? Don’t judge people by the cover.

“I am who I am. I deal with things like I want to do them.

“A lot of times people say you are nice and try to take advantage but you have to be ruthless on the track and off it sometimes.

“It was hard, the guys gave it to me – each one of them.

“It felt like me against the whole world – and it was – but at the same time they were working as a team.”

They couldn’t stop him extending his incredible streak that has seen him win every outdoor title he has contested since coming second in the 10,000m in Daegu in 2011.

But at times, it didn’t look like a fair fight on Fantastic Friday with Mo patched up until the small hours when he’d finished taking the applause of the fans until almost midnight.

He said: “Being smart has helped me to get to where I am. I am not as fresh as I was six years ago or even five years ago.

“If you look in my diary from then, there’s a big difference. I just have to do a bit more here and there.

“There are days when you come to the track and you are knackered with nothing in the body.

“But if you want it, you have to do the work.

“I was doing some of my key sessions with 10 or 12 days to go and the guys saw what I was doing. That is what needs to be done.”

The Kenyans and Ethiopians will be back for more when the 5000m semis take place on Wednesday with Muktar Edris topping the world rankings to set out his stall and Rio runner-up Paul Chelimo also gunning for glory.

But Farah – and Butchart – will get the benefit of a partisan crowd roaring them on to give them the edge in the race for home.

And the champ said: “I was trying to use the crowd to keep me going.

“I was thinking, ‘ Yeah guys, they are not cheering for you’. Obviously that ended up helping.”