Farah is out of Big Half after injury

ATHLETICS: Sir Mo Farah has withdrawn from the Vitality Big Half after suffering an Achilles injury.

The four-time Olympic champion sustained the minor problem in training.

Farah has won the Sir Mo Farah London event for the past two years and was due to face Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele on Sunday, March 1.

He said: “I was really looking forward to racing the Vitality Big Half again.

“Everyone knows how much I love racing in London, but my priority is to be fit, healthy and competitive for the summer season and for that reason I have had to make the tough decision not to race this year.”

Farah will continue his preparations for the summer in Africa having opted to quit the marathon for another Olympic track title bid.

Farah won double gold over 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012 and Rio 2016, before leaving the track to focus on marathon running in 2017. He broke the European record to win the Chicago marathon in 2018, but could only finish fifth in London in April last year.

With world record holder Eliud Kipchoge an overwhelming favourite, a marathon victory in Tokyo was unlikely and Farah will instead look to defend his 10,000m title again.

nCRICKET: Former Australia coach Darren Lehmann will undergo heart bypass surgery this week after being admitted to hospital with chest pains, Cricket Australia has announced.

Lehmann, who was on the Gold Coast to watch son Jake captain the Cricket Australia XI against the touring England Lions, was taken to hospital in Brisbane on his 50th birthday.

“Former Australia batsman and coach Darren Lehmann will undergo bypass surgery on Saturday after suffering chest pains on the Gold Coast today,” Cricket Australia said on its website. Lehmann, also a former Yorkshire player and coach, was appointed coach of the men’s Headingley-based The Hundred side Northern Superchargers in the summer.

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