Olympics Rio 2016: Mo Farah recovers from fall to take 10,000m gold

ByBen Snowball

Updated 14/08/2016 at 02:02 GMT

Mo Farah recovered from an early fall to secure another stunning Olympic triumph in the 10,000m – and become the first British track and field athlete to win three gold medals.

Farah was tripped during a congested opening, but quickly regained his feet and set about winning another global title with a typically explosive final lap.

The 33-year-old made his decisive burst as the leaders swung into the final 100m before holding off Kenya’s fast-finishing Paul Kipngetich Tanui to win in 27:05.18. Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola took bronze.

"When I went down it didn't take a lot out of me and I got up quickly, I thought about how much I'd worked and I wasn't going to let it affect me. It's hard mentally when you go down," an emotional Farah told reporters.

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Farah, who goes in the 5000m next week, is hoping to become the first man since Finland’s Lasse Viren in 1976 to defend two distance titles at the Olympics.

Mo Farah (GBR) of Britain celebrates winning the race

Image credit: Reuters

Much of the pre-race talk centred on Kenya and Ethiopia’s tactics and whether the two fabled long-distance nations would attack from the start.

However, the opening laps were pedestrian, with Farah’s only threat coming from a stray spike from training partner Galen Rupp which sent him tumbling to the floor.

The pace eventually picked up, with Ethiopia leading an assault as the field became stretched over the final few kilometres, but there was no denying Farah and his quest for long-distance immortality.

"I got emotional because you put so much work in and in one moment it's gone," Farah added of his fall. "That one moment could be it, I just had to get through it and believe in myself."

Farah’s unbeaten run at major championships stretches back to 2011 – and could continue for some time yet.

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