Sir Mo Farah has confirmed he will end his professional career after September’s Great North Run.
The four-time Olympic champion honestly admitted that his body was beginning to let him down after completing his final ever London Marathon. Farah finished in two hours, ten minutes and eight seconds securing a top-10 finish in the process.
But after claiming he was aiming for a significantly quicker time, the 40-year-old revealed that his legendary career is now firmly on the home straight. "London has been so great to me over the years and I wanted to be here to say thank you to the crowd and the support that was just amazing,” he told the BBC.
"Training went well, and I was confident and I thought I could do between 2:05 and 2:07 but you never know with the marathon. I gave it my all but my body just wasn’t responding and that’s when you know when it’s time to call it a day.
"Part of me was wanting to cry. The people were amazing, even in the rain to line the streets and that’s what this is all about. It’s what has kept me going for so long throughout my career. I will miss that feeling, I am emotional today."
Farah, Britain’s most successful Olympic track athlete, finished behind fellow Brits Emile Cairess and Phil Sesemann, who crossed the line in sixth and eighth place respectively.
The 2012 and 2016 double Olympic gold medalist will now turn his attention to the Great North Run later this year, before giving back to the sport he dominated for so much of his competitive career.
"I started here at the mini marathon and to finish here is just incredible,” Farah added. "If somebody had said to that kid running the mini marathon that I’ll be Olympic champion, he would never have believed it.
“The sport needs this, we need to give back to the young athletes and teach them what is possible with hard work.”
He continued: "I want to pass that on. The Great North Run is going to be my last ever run and that will be my goodbye. My career has been amazing, my wife and kids have been with me throughout this journey and I want to give time to them now, as well as getting involved in grassroots sport and give back to this sport."
Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum won the men’s race, crossing the line in a course record time of two hours, one minute and 25 seconds. That was some three minutes ahead of compatriot Geoffrey Kamworor and Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola. Sifan Hassan won a thrilling women’s race, beating Alemu Megertu and Peres Jepchrichir in a sprint for the line.
Hassan’s victory was all the more remarkable after she fell way off the pace at the 15-mile mark, before surging back to reel in the leaders in the final stretch of the 26.2m race.
