After five gold medals in the European Athletics Championships, four Olympic gold medals, and a plethora of other accomplishments, Mo Farah finally falls short by 19 seconds.
It seemed surreal for British fans and fans across the globe to see the 38-year-old finally on the decline. And fans may have to come to grips that his 2016 Olympic performance in Brazil may have just been his last at an Olympic event, as it is unlikely to see him perform at Olympic standards at 41 years old, when the 2024 Olympics is held in Paris.
While Farah’s age may be a factor in his inability to qualify for the Olympics, he’s indicated that injuries were a contributing factor. “I’ve had some decent sessions since my little niggle (ankle and foot), but I thought I should be able to run that,” Farah says. “I genuinely thought I’d come out here, get the time and then go back to the training camp.” But completing the 10,000m race at 27:47 indicated otherwise.
In order to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, Farah needed to run under 27 minutes and 28 seconds to earn a first-class seat to Tokyo. But instead, he earned a front-row seat to watch the games with his family at home. And maybe that gave him a chance to give his kids tips and tricks of the game from his living room, with some words of encouragement that he gave to the media. “As a sportsman, you’ve just got to get a hold of it, you’ve got to own it, move on, and see what you can do,” Farah said.
While we may have seen his last run at the Olympics in Rio, Brazil, Farah still seems to have some juice left. Just last year in 2020, Farah set a new record in the one hour run at the 2020 Diamond League in Belgium by breaking Haile Gebrselassie’s record. In 2018, Farah came in third place in the London Marathon, beating the British record previously set by Steve Jones in 1985. Also, in 2018, Farah won the Great North Run, for the fifth consecutive time and came in first place in the Chicago Marathon.
So while it is unlikely to see Farah’s return in 2024 in the Paris Olympics, we can potentially see another run at the next European Athletic Championship, which is scheduled to be held in August, 2022 in Germany (It was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID).
But one thing we do know is that Farah won’t compete unless he feels like he has a legitimate shot at winning. “I don’t know what’s next for me,” Farah says. “I just have to chat with my team and see what’s next. If I can’t compete with the best, why bother.”
But if he’s unable to rack up more accolades on the track, he may be able to get them elsewhere, as he has earned himself a reputation off the track. In 2017, Farah was named the winner of the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award. “It’s incredible, amazing,” Farah said. “To be honest with you, I never thought I would win having come so close before.”
Three-time heavyweight world title belt holder, Anthony Joshua, was the clear favorite to win the award. Up until the actual announcement of naming Farah the winner, no one expected him to win, including his own coach, Gary Lough. So it seems like Farah wins in the same fashion on and off the track — at the very last minute. Farah is known for trailing in races and then explodes with energy at the very end just on time for the guy leading the race to feel his dust.
As with many other athletes around the world, Farah had humble beginnings as a refugee in Djibouti before moving to London at eight years old. He showed signs of being a good runner early on, but it didn’t come without hard work.
When he was 13 years old, he actually came in 9th place in his schools’ cross-country. But the following year, he came in first place — and the year after — and the year after that, totaling five school titles. His first major title was in the 5000m at the European Athletics Junior Championship in 2001.
From that point on, he’s seen nothing but success, with a few hiccups along the way. Probably one of the most embarrassing moments in Farah’s career was in 2007 at the 3000m race in Birmingham when Gunther Weidlinger accidentally bumped into Farah, causing him to fall down. By the time Farah got up and regained composure, he accidentally started running the wrong way.
But as Farah puts it “let your challenges fuel you,” and “instead, take a lesson.” It’s interesting that while he came in last place after falling in Birmingham, 11 years later, he fell again in the 2016 Rio Olympics. But in Rio, Brazil, not only did he spring back up with authority, he won the race and picked up a gold medal along the way.
