World Championship gold medallist Mo Farah has said 2011 proved to be a great year, despite a poor start in Deagu.
Farah changed coaches in February a decision which commentators hailed as a last-ditch attempt to salvage a failing career. He had failed to get past the first round of the 5,000 metres at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and his last two World Championships had ended in sixth and seventh place. However, under Alberto Salazar, a coach known for his cutting-edge scientific methods of training, the tide was turned, and he’s now a real medal contender for London 2012.
At the Diamond League meeting in June, Farah smashed the British and European 10,000 metres records, clocking 26 min 46.57 seconds, and beating his previous lifetime best by 42 seconds. The following month, he broke his own British 5,000 metres record with a time of 12 min 53.11 sec in Monaco.
At the World Championships in Deagu, Farah lost in the final of the 10,000 metres to Ibrahim Jeilan, before coming back to win gold in the 5000 metres. Farah now says it was hard work and doing plenty of homework which helped him come through that disappointment to win the second race.
“We didn’t have a clue who he was. He just came out of the woodwork” Farah said of Jeilan, “It happens. He beat me by only 0.26 sec, but that’s still a beating.
“I remember thinking that I was going to come back for the 5,000m four days later, no matter what. I’m glad I did.
“I knew I had to run the perfect race to get it right. I couldn’t afford to make another mistake like I had in the 10,000m. This is where your homework comes in.
“Being a world champion is the culmination, the reward, of all the sacrifices you make. It’s not just me making the sacrifices, either. My family had moved out to the other side of the world, to Portland, where I’d been training.
“I’d been away from my daughter for long periods of time, all those blocks of time add up. They go through a lot. When I lose, I bring that disappointment and negativity to the family, and they’re the ones who cheer me up. But there they were at the side of the track, celebrating with me. It’s a feeling like no other.”
