IT’S BEEN EMOJIONAL!
Farah, the humble legend, says farewell to the track today knowing he’s made it ...he now has his own Mobot emoji!
SIR MO FARAH was so excited he took to social media to tell the world about it.
Not winning Britain’s only gold medal of these World Championships in the 10,000 metres – his 10th successive global title.
Rather the news that Twitter had given him his own emoji.
“SO excited to have my own Mobot emoji!!” he tweeted, followed by a blizzard of hashtags.
Farah is 34 and a married father of four. In medal terms he is the most successful British athlete of all-time.
He has been unbeaten for six years against the best the world can throw at him. Dealt with the loneliness that comes with spending half the year, every year, away from his young family.
Coped too with the blowback from serious allegations against his coach Alberto Salazar, who remains under investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency and who denies any wrongdoing.
Yet give him a Mobot emoji and he reacts like a kid in a sweetshop the night before Christmas. It may seem an irrelevance, a tiny detail in the make-up of the man.
But it actually offers quite a clue to his longevity.
“To be honest,” he said, ahead of today’s 5,000 metres final, the last championship track appearance of his career, “what is keeping me on the top is being normal.
“It is about staying hungry, staying humble, being nice, being who you are. No-one is going to change me.
“I’m a very lucky person in life,” he added. “I have a gift that not many people have – to be able to know who I was and where I came from as a youngster.
“To have achieved what I have has been incredible. I don’t think there’s enough words to explain the journey and everything. But you have to appreciate what you have.” Which is why, when he recalls the opening night of these championships and what many regard as the greatest race of his career, he thinks not of the 10 kilometres he raced but the lap of honour with his family which followed.
“When I took my kids on the track that was beautiful,” said the man who arrived from war-torn Somalia as an eight-year old speaking barely a word of English.
“Five years ago at London 2012, who would have thought the twins in mummy’s tummy would be on the track?”
Today’s 5,000m final is no gimme, even if he has won the world title at the past three championships.
But armed with that boyish enthusiasm, burning desire and the knowledge of what happened to Usain Bolt in his farewell race, you would not bet against him.
ON the wall at home Danny Talbot has two framed photos of himself racing Usain Bolt.
Each shot is of a relay and has been taken from such an angle that it appears the Briton is ahead of the world’s fastest man (below). “If a Martian walked into the house and looked at the walls he’d think I was the greatest athlete of all time,” laughed the British 200m champion. “I wish! You get to a point where it is amazing racing him but boring being so far behind.” At the London Stadium today 30-year-old Bolt will run the last two races of his career. If all goes to plan in the heats, the pair will share the track in the evening sprint relay final. What could have been a bonus run for Bolt has assumed altogether greater importance following his shock loss to Justin Gatlin in the 100 metres. The Jamaican is desperate that our abiding memory of him as an athlete should be one of triumph and celebration, rather than of explaining away the loss of his powers.
However his first 100m defeat since 2013 has opened the door to doubt – and the opposition suddenly believe.
“We are going there to win it,” said Talbot, 26. “You can only have potential for so long. We are not young or developing any more.
“We are now good enough to start making finals and getting to the top three, and if you can do that why not win?”
These Champs have seen a changing of the guard with Jamaica failing to win a sprint gold and the USA placing first and second in the men’s 100m.
The potential for Bolt to again miss out is therefore very real. Which would really cap a week of shocks.
Two final races before icon Bolt says goodbye and Brit Talbot is relishing the chance to spring another huge sprint surprise