TEAM OREGON ARE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
GALEN RUPP
HAVING spent his teenage years playing football at high school in Oregon, Rupp was singled out for his long-distance running ability. His mother convinced him to train for track and field in return for dinner at McDonald’s and he was eventually introduced to his school’s new cross-country coach — Alberto Salazar. He went on to set junior and high-school records. Having been mentored by Salazar, Rupp proved he was a future star when he finished first in the 5,000m at the 2003 Pan American Junior Championships. He made his Olympic debut at the 2008 Games in Beijing, where he finished 13th in the 10,000m. He turned professional in 2009 and won 10,000m silver at London 2012, behind Farah, and holds the US record for the distance.
ALBERTO SALAZAR
THREE consecutive victories in the New York City marathon saw Salazar become one of the most respected figures in US athletics. Born in Cuba, the now 56-year-old migrated to America with his family as a child and was given his first taste of track and field at his secondary school in Massachusetts. He won the first of back-to-back titles in the New York City marathon in 1980 and required six litres of water through intravenous drip when he ran himself unconscious in 1982. He was gold-medal favourite for the 1984 Olympic marathon, but finished 15th. Salazar became a coach who used the latest scientific techniques. As well as training his long-distance runners, he was a marathon pacesetter for cyclist Lance Armstrong.
MO FARAH
THE Team GB middle-distance runner shot to fame after his double gold medal-winning performance at the 2012 Olympics. His ‘Mobot’ celebration became one of the iconic images of the London Games and he is now one of the most recognisable competitors in athletics. The 32-year-old finished third in the 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards and is close friends with Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt. Born in Somalia, Farah moved to London aged eight and now resides in Oregon. His first major medal was the 5,000m silver at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. He has since been crowned 5,000 and 10,000m champion at European, World and Olympic level. Farah broke the two-mile indoor world record in February this year.