London: British athletics great Mo Farah will hope his final track race on home turf Sunday will have a happier ending than last Saturday’s world 5,000 metres final.
The 34-year-old, who will compete in the 3,000 metres at the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, produced a courageous performance just falling short of overhauling Ethiopian Muktar Edris. It was his first defeat since the 10,000m in the 2011 World Championships.
Farah, who came to England aged eight with his mother and two of his brothers after a long trek from war-torn Somalia admitted that the last race is going to be pretty emotional.
“It’s definitely going to be emotional, running at home for the last time,” said Farah, who will make his final track appearance in the Zurich Diamond League meet next week,” here Sunday.
“I’ve had a long career and to come here year after year, it’s been something special. But, at some point, anything we do in life must come to an end and this is it. I just have to take care of the race and respect my opposition. I have a job to do Sunday and to do well,” he added.
Farah is intent on not letting the occasion get to him and believes he is still in fine fettle despite his exertions at the World Championships.
“It’s important for me to go out with a win,” he asserted. “I think people realise that it’s not as easy as me just turning up, you’ve got to be in the best shape. I’m in great shape and if I could come away with a win that would be great.”
Farah can also perhaps expect a surprise from UK Athletics after he has crossed the line judging from what their chief executive Niels de Vos said.
“Mo Farah is thought by many commentators to be the greatest distance athlete of all time,” said De Vos. “I could not agree more. We are planning to commemorate his final track race in the UK in style Sunday in what will be one of the highlights of the summer.”
Agence France-Presse
