Farah grabs final victory!
British legend wins his final 5,000m in Zurich His ‘Colin Jackson dive’ ensures thrilling victory
With one final gut-wrenching effort, Mo Farah brought the curtain down on his track career in thrilling, triumphant style.
It was close – just about as nailbitingly close as any victory he has managed over the course of his long and illustrious career. But it was a win on which to bow out and the smile as he stepped off the Zurich track was enormous.
“It’s probably going to hit me later,” he said. “I’m really going to miss all this, but everything must come to an end. What a way to end my career.”
Farah had been in no doubt as to the scale of the challenge he faced in this Zurich Diamond League 5,000m that marked the finale to his track career. Despite a haul of four Olympic and six world titles, he had insisted he was the underdog up against Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris, who upset the apple cart to claim gold at the London 2017 World Championships a fortnight ago.
The race proved a cagey affair for the bulk of proceedings, only flickering into light when Farah opted to hit the front with 600m remaining. Even then, there was no big move forthcoming until all the fireworks erupted with the finishing line in sight.
Grimacing as he strained every sinew, Farah looked a beaten man only for Edris to somehow grasp defeat from the jaws of victory by stumbling over the line on all fours. Victory was Farah’s in 13 minutes 6.05 seconds. Such was the mayhem that America’s Paul Chelimo, who initially crossed the line second, was disqualified for attempting to haul Farah back, upgrading Edris from third. Just 0.04sec had separated the trio.
“It came into the last lap and I told myself: ‘Do not give anyone an inch,’” said Farah. “At that point I went, ‘Can I hold this?’ I told myself I could. I was hurting, but then at the end I pulled out a Colin Jackson dive. I ended my career with a win. You can’t get any better than that.”
There had been a sense in the build-up that Farah’s departure from the track was destined never to end. First, an emotional farewell at his last major championship appearance in London. Then an equally emotional farewell on his last British track appearance in Birmingham. And finally, after a fortnight of goodbyes and selfies, there was this: the actual end.
Some had questioned what motive Farah had for foregoing the opportunity of concluding his track career on home soil for one last bumper payday in Switzerland.
Aside from the significant appearance fee and $50,000 winning bonus on offer, Farah was eager to point out his fond memories of competing in Zurich having set a British 5,000m record here in 2010.
He also won double European gold on this track in 2014, but it nonetheless seemed curious to risk taking on such tricky opposition when he could have ended on the high of last week’s Birmingham win. It was a gamble. But it paid off.
Chijindu Ujah produced what he declared was “the best win of my career” after causing an almighty upset to sink world champion Justin Gatlin over 100m.
Ujah ran a brilliant season’s best 9.97sec victory in Zurich, as Gatlin trailed in fourth. “It’s an amazing feeling,” said Ujah. “I knew what I was capable of. It’s a shame I didn’t get it done at the World Champs. It’s probably the best win of my career.”
Briton Adam Gemili finished eighth in the 100m while the British women’s 4x100m were second behind Jamaica.