One of Britain’s most decorated Olympic athletes, long-distance runner Sir Mo Farah thought he might be reaching the end of his career after his double-double gold medal wins in the 2016 Olympics. He also switched over to marathon running in the following few years.
But, missing the track, Farah has returned to racing. In fact, he even announced that he will consider returning for the “2020” Tokyo Olympics, which will be held in mid to late summer of 2021.
In one of the first races of his return, 37-year-old Farah crushed the previous one-hour World Record for track. He ran 21.33km in 60 minutes. This marks the first new world record for this event since Haile Gebrselassie in 2007.
Mo Farah has chased and broken records since childhood
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Farah moved to Britain with his family at the age of 8. He began running at only 13. In 2001he earned his first major victory at the European Athletics Junior Championship, and caught the eye of athletics philanthropist Eddie Kulukundis. Kulukundis later paid the legal fees for Farah’s naturalization in Britain.
By 2009, Farah set a British record for the 3000 meter run. Soon after, he won the 2010 London 10km-long run, and began collecting wins and British records at top speed.
Mo Farah in Rio 2016
He competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, earning gold for the 5 and 10k meter races. After a time, Farah also switched to running longer distance, including marathons.
Using sports to educate his children
“If I didn’t have the family and everything, I wouldn’t be where I am,” Farah once told Piers Morgan. Farah met his now wife Tania when he was only 12 years old and she was 11 in West London. They ran in the same athletics club and were best friends. However, the two lost contact after university for more than 8 years. Then, Facebook reunited them. They got married in 2010 and now have four children together.
“Sport is the only thing that brings people together,” says Farah. He strives to use the knowledge he has gained as an athlete to promote change. As a British Somali man in the sport, he has faced racism throughout his life in the public eye.
As a result, Farah makes sure that his children stay informed about social issues, and believes that educating our children can help promote real change.
“It’s important for us to stand up and to continue to do the work we do and give people hope, and continue to change, and I think it is changing…but is everything, you will find challenges,” Farah tells CNBC.
Farah also offers advice and insight to his world on his active Youtube channel:
Mo Farah returns for the Olympics
After winning the 10,000m race at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Farah decided to switch over to the marathon. In March 2018, he ran the London Big Half Marathon and won, and came in 3rd at the London Marathon while beating the previous British record.
In 2019 he won the Great North Run for a sixth time, and set the men’s all-time world record for the one hour run at the 2020 Diamond League in 2020.
Now, Farah has announced that he will compete in the 10,000m race at the Tokyo Olympics. “After [the] Chicago Marathon, I’ve taken a nice break and with my family, just enjoyed being around my kids,” he said in his announcement. “And now for a little while, I was just thinking about Tokyo 2020…I would like to compete in the 10,000m. To come out of retirement and compete back on the track.”
Follow Farah on YouTube.
