Dominant Farah wins 10,000 metres honour
Britain’s Mo Farah put aside his recent fitness problems to claim his fourth European title by comfortably winning the 10,000 metres final yesterday.
The double Olympic champion was chased hard down the final straight by Turkish pair Ali Kaya and Polat Kemboi Arikan and compatriot Andy Vernon, but never looked in any real danger.
Vernon, hampered by backmarkers at the start of the final lap, pipped the two Kenyan-born Turks to take silver, Kaya was third and Arikan, the defending cham- pion, finished medals.
It was a welcome win for the 31-year-old Farah in what has been a frustrating season.
‘‘It meant a lot to me,’’ Farah told reporters after adding to his 5000 and 10,000 metres European golds in Barcelona in 2010 and his 5000m title in Helsinki two years ago.
‘‘I was really ill a few weeks ago but training has gone well.
‘‘Winning the European Championships again really does mean a lot to me. I didn’t want to let people down after missing the Commonwealth Games. It hasn’t been easy.’’
On a wet and chilly evening
out
of
the at the Letzigrund, Farah went to the front of the pack just over three laps from the end and never looked like relinquishing his lead.
Farah, who won the 5000 and 10,000 metres titles at the London Olympics and the world championships in Moscow last year, was admitted to hospital in the United States at the start of July with abdominal pains.
He initially said he would compete at both distances in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but had to pull out.
He also made an inauspicious competitive debut over 41km when he finished eighth in the London marathon in April.