I’ll never fail a drugs test, says Farah
FOR a man so keen to talk of happiness and love, Sir Mo Farah couldn’t quite hide his feelings of irritation and frustration yesterday. This was meant to be the glorious homecoming and for most of his afternoon it was, given he did what he does so well, which was to run fast and cross the line first.
To that end, it was a mission accomplished, 3,000m ticked off and just two seconds shy of his British record in the stadium that made him famous five summers ago. Then, like now, he had the gift of a magnificent sprint finish; now, unlike then, a cloud keeps pace with him when the humans fall back.
The doping conversation is one that lingers. It does so because of his link with Alberto Salazar, who is under investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency, and it is now more pointed because of the leak by Russian hackers last week. They showed that Farah’s biological passport had flagged up suspicious results and even though later documents in the leak showed the IAAF’s doubts had disappeared, the episode has brought the topic back to the surface.
And if there is one thing Farah has come to dislike, it is this subject. Why, he wanted to know yesterday, must journalists make ‘something of nothing’ when he has ‘never failed a drugs test’? There was also a plea for the press to ‘understand’ his work better and ‘write down the facts’.
It was all delivered with a smile but the messages were prickly.
Asked about the leak, he said: ‘I love what I do, I do it with passion and love. The same thing I said (before), I am sick of repeating myself, and you guys just making something of nothing. As I said, I will never ever fail a drugs test.’
He later added: ‘I know there are a lot of people who support me. It is just a small minority who think to become a success you must be doing something.
‘I said I will never fail a drugs test. That is who I am. I believe in clean sports and I just have to enjoy what I do and keep smiling. And let you guys do what you do.’
Is it a distraction, with his final World Championships less than a month away? ‘Not at all,’ he said. ‘What I do day in and day out, there is no secrets to it. My life is not as easy as people think, it is about grafting. I wish you guys would understand it a bit more and write down the facts.’
With that he signed off with a debatable declaration of love for those asking what seemed perfectly reasonable questions.
He will next resurface at the World Championships and what will be his last appearance on the track where it all seemed so much simpler five years ago.
Judging from his 7:35.15 time in the non-Championship distance yesterday, his legs are following his orders at least.
As are Andy Butchart’s, who had to settle for third behind Farah but smashed his own Scottish 3,000m record to underline his intent for the Worlds next month.
‘It’s mind blowing how far I’ve come in the past 12 months,’ said the 25-year-old after a time of 7:45.56. ‘Last year I was just happy to get in the race, so it’s crazy how much I’ve come on and obviously other Scots are coming now.’
They naturally include the brilliant Laura Muir. There was a personal best in the one-mile race yesterday, but she fell just short of hitting her goal of breaking Zola Budd’s 32-year-old British record of 4:17.57.
By halfway she was close to worldrecord pace but slowed on the stretch and was passed by Kenya’s Hellen Obiri before finishing in 4:18.03.
She said: ‘I’m disappointed not to get the record but I’m still really happy with that time, it’s still a PB for me. I was tired the last 100 metres but considering I was putting two races together in the last three days (after running the 800m in Lausanne on Thursday), I’m very happy.’
Compatriot Chris O’Hare has emerged as a dark horse bet for a World medal after a superb 1,500m win that was oceans apart from his last place here 12 months ago that led to Olympic disappointment. ‘Last to first is not bad,’ he said. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing.’
Lynsey Sharp and Eilidh Doyle finished fourth in the 800m and 400m hurdles respectively. Sharp learns tomorrow if she’s been selected for the British team for London.
Guy Learmouth ensured there will be at least 12 Scots involved by earning the qualifying mark he needed in the 800m to remove any doubt over his participation.