I’ll need to give a bit Mo if I want to strike Olympic gold again
SPORTS LOG
Mo Farah cruised to victory in the 5000 metres at the Anniversary Games then warned he won’t get it so easy at the Olympics as his rivals will be gunning for him.
The 33-year-old looked in a hurry to get on the plane to Rio as he finished almost 15 seconds clear of Scots prospect Andy Butchart.
Farah finished with a storming final lap of 56.95 seconds to cross the line in 12mins 59.29secs, the fastest time in the world this year.
But he said: “It’s harder for me to defend than win a first Olympics because the rest of the guys have had four years preparation. They’re going to try anything to beat me.”
Butchart was just outside his own Scottish record and he said. “Some of the guys racing tonight are extremely talented so I’m delighted to beat them.”
Scots Lynsey Sharp and Lennie Waite ended up crocked in their last tune-ups for Brazil.
Sharp came second in the 800m but hobbled off after a clash of knees. Waite failed to finish the 3000m steeplechase, dropping out with three laps left after tweaking her ankle. Joe Root piled the pressure on Pakistan and came within one boundary of an English record with his career-best double-century in the second Test at Old Trafford.
Root’s 254 was just two runs short of England’s highest individual score at this venue.
England declared on 589 for eight on day two then Pakistan stumbled to 57 for four at stumps. Chris Froome is set to win the 2016 Tour de France after safely negotiating a treacherous penultimate stage to Morzine which was won by Spaniard Jon Izaguirre.
The British rider will go into today’s largely processional stage into Paris leading by four minutes and five seconds from Frenchman Romain Bardet. Scots driver Lewis Williamson qualified third on the grid on his debut for Strakka Racing in the World Endurance Championship in Germany. Nick Samra scored the winner on his debut as Scotland’s men’s hockey side beat England Development 2-1 victory in a challenge clash at Lilleshall.