Friday 19 / April / 2024
London: Mo Farah is confident that he can win the 5,000m at the World Athletics Championships despite suffering cuts and bruises and needing three stitches in his left leg after his epic 10,000 metres triumph on Friday.
The 34-year-old Briton was left concerned about his left knee, which he hurt in a clash with Kenyan bronze medallist Paul Tanui during a frenetic last lap.
Yet he was adamant that he would be "fine" to shoot for his fifth consecutive golden 5,000-10,000m distance double at a global championship as he had four days of recovery time before the heats of the shorter event on Wednesday.
Asked by the BBC if he could achieve the double in his final championships as a track runner, Farah responded: "I've got a few scratches, I've got a few bruises but if I believe enough, and if I rest up enough, it's possible. I do believe."
The Briton says it will be his last championship track event before he concentrates on marathon running and he hopes to make it the perfect farewell next Saturday by winning a seventh world title.
Reflecting on the 10,000m, Farah reckoned he had never experienced a race as difficult as the one on Friday, when he faced the biggest test of his six-year unbeaten streak in the championships from the concerted efforts of his Kenyan, Ugandan and Ethiopian rivals.
"With 3,000 to go, I was hurting and I was tired and there was a lot of stuff going on, a lot of elbows. Physically, that race was crazy," he said.
Ultimately, though, he would not be ruffled, winning his 10th successive global track title in world championships and Olympics with his fastest-ever championship 10,000m run, 26 minutes 49.51 seconds, the quickest in the world this year.
