Mo shrugs off his knocks and is ready to double up
SIR scareever double.10th defence Stadium. CheptegeicrownThe FarahHe MOas globalwas and four-timefor he FARAHof won clipped warnedthe closesandthe titlein third 10,000Paula on has Olympicin sprinttwicehis Fridaytimeon Tanui shruggedmetresrivalsa headingfinish Worldin championafterto a he row. takeat off aheadis Championshipa theas into thrillinghis the ruthless Londoninjuryof won worldthe Joshuafinalhis as lap, runner’s declaredheat. Farah suffering said: spikes,he willa “It cut andbe was afterfit also quitefor being Wednesday’shurta late his caughtone knee butby 5000mbuta I wentscanme “But and and throughit’s I’ve got all gota good.the few enough whole stitches.It’s nothingdays systemto that recover,– doctors, concernedrest up,it happens.“I to got be spiked ready. But somewherethe knee was in whenthe race.I nearlyIt’s fine, trippedcatch my at otherthe bell knee. twice It’s and like I when happened you’re to falling but catch it. It’s just a bruise and puffed up.
“Have I had a race that hard and that banged up? No. It was difficult, 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.”
Farah takes it as a compliment his opponents ganged up to try to spoil his farewell party.
He said: “Yeah, that is good. For many years they’ve been saying how they’re going to beat me and even some of the papers, particularly Geoffrey Kamworor, was like ‘it’s my turn, I’m going to beat him’. He didn’t even get a medal.
“Yeah they wanted to beat me, but at least back it up with something, I guess.”
The 34-year-old will now focus on defending his 5000m title before retiring from the track for the marathon following the Zurich Diamond League final at the end of the month.
Farah is likely to use the home crowd during the race again after getting them going before and during the 10,000m as mind tricks to upset his rivals, and insisted his ruthless streak remains.
He said: “People take 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.
“In the last six, seven or eight laps you’re in the zone. So it was early on and I was trying to use the crowd to keep me going. I was thinking: ‘yeah guys, they are not cheering for you’.”