The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Farah ready to take on Kenyan ‘army’ at Rio Olympic Games
Double Olympic champion believes he has a target on his back
Mo Farah is ready to repel an onslaught from an “army” of Kenyan rivals at the Rio Olympics as Great Britain’s leading medal hopes ensured they would go into the games on a high.
The double Olympic champion over 5,000 and 10,000 metres headed to his altitude training base at Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees yesterday buoyed by an emphatic victory over the shorter distance at the Muller Anniversary Games on Saturday.
His competition at the Olympic Stadium was virtually non-existent, but his powerful front-running and storming last lap of 56.95 seconds, roared on by the 30,000 crowd, was evidence enough of his shape.
The result was a time of 12 minutes 59.29 seconds, the fastest in the world this year and his quickest since preLondon 2012.
Recently crowned Scottish 5,000m record holder Andrew Butchart came from way back to run a 56.6 seconds final lap to finish runner-up to Farah in 13:14.85.
The Central AC athlete continued his rise to world class, overhauling more experienced campaigners including Rio bound Kenyan Isiah Koech fourth.
Forty-one-year-old former Olympic 1,500m and 5,000m champion Bernard Lagat (USA) broke the world veteran record in third with 13:14.96.
It was a good weekend for many of Britain’s major medal hopes, with Jessica Ennis-Hill running her second fastest time for the 100m hurdles of 12.76 seconds and Katarina JohnsonThompson banishing her long jump worries with a leap of 6.84 metres ahead of their heptathlon showdown in Brazil.
Elsewhere, Dundee Hawkhill Harrier Laura Muir broke Kelly Holmes’ British 1,500m record by running 3:57.49 with another awesome display of speed, establishing the Scot as a strong medal shout for Rio.
Three weeks out from the games there were significant statements of intent too from the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams, who ran a worldleading time and a British record respectively.
It was an ideal send-off ahead of Rio, when the medal target set by UK Sport for athletics is minimum of seven, one more than they managed four years ago and a tough ask.
Farah, who the best of Kenya and Ethiopia have failed to find a way to beat at major championships since 2011, will be expected to come back with two of them.
“I’m trying something that’s never been done before,” said Farah, speaking after a morning run of 20 miles on the treadmill. “I get nervous talking about it – I get quite emotional.
“I’ve had a target on my back for four years. All eyes are on me, a lot of people will be looking at that result (on Saturday).
“I’m sure they all sat around and watched that race and thought, ‘How do we do it, what do we need to do (to beat him in Rio)?’
“There’s a lot of talk about how they (the Kenyans) are going to come like an army and try and throw me off my game. I know what I would do if I was them, but I’m not going to tell them.”
Butchart beamed: ‘I have never experienced a crowd like this in my life. If I can experience that again in my lifetime I’ll be delighted.
“I have been at altitude for the last four weeks and know I am in shape.
“It gives you something of a boost and you feel like you can breathe easier.
“I want to make the final (in Rio) and I think the race could be something similar to that.
“I have been in Fort Romeu (with Farah) and the guy trains like an animal, and some of the guys racing today are extremely talented so I’m delighted to beat them”
Ennis-Hill is looking to defend her heptathlon crown two years after giving birth to son Reggie.
“I love championships,” she said. “That’s when I want to be at my best. I love those environments, it brings the best out of me.”
And Johnson-Thompson, whose challenge to gold medallist Ennis-Hill at last year’s World Championships in Beijing was ended by her failure to record a mark in the long jump, is ready to push her compatriot all the way.
“I’ve always felt that,” she said when asked if her target in Rio was gold. “I’ve just got to put it together.”
Lynsey Sharp (Edinburgh AC) clocked 1.59.54 for second place in the 800m, edging out American Molly Ludlow, but she had to give way on the finish line as GB colleague Shelayna Oskan-Clarke took the win in 1:59.46.
“I am in good form at the moment and felt good but Shelayna was just stronger in the home straight,” said Sharp. “Endurance running in Britain is so strong at the moment. Scottish distance running in particular has come on a lot – Laura Muir ran a British record on Friday night so there are some good results coming through.”
There was a 200m world lead and world record of at 24.44 seconds for Scottish Paralympic sprinter Libby Clegg and her guide runner, Chris Clarke in the IPC events.
Clegg is expected to be named for the Paralympics next week.