Immortal man Mo delivers his dream: Farah judges his run to perfection as he grabs his place in history with a golden double
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On a night touched by magic, in a stadium shuddering with noise, Mo Farah joined the ranks of the immortals. With a stunning exhibition of pace, judgment and implacable courage, he overcame the world’s finest middle-distance runners to deliver his Olympic dream.
One week ago, he gave his proudly adopted country the 10,000metres gold medal. On Saturday night, he secured his place in the pantheon by winning the 5,000m crown. Few have ever exerted that kind of domination over the greatest athletes on the planet. No Briton has ever gone close. But the man born in Somalia and raised in west London has set his own standards and written his own script in these astonishing Olympics.
He is 29 years old, at the peak of his powers and won his race with an assurance which reeked of maturity. He covered all the breaks, resisted extravagant changes of pace, matched his talent against the machinations of the gifted Kenyans and Ethiopians and kicked for home with the ferocious tenacity which has typified his career.
He's done it! Farah wins the men's 5,000m final
Make mine a double: Farah celebrates as he crosses the line
Sprint finish: Farah crosses the line
On top of the world: Farah celebrates his win
Mo-bot: Farah celebrates in his trademark fashion
Solid gold: Farah celebrates winning his second gold medal of London 2012
Trading places: Farah celebrates with Usain Bolt's trademark Lightening Strike while the Jamaican sprinter copies the Brit's Mo-Bot celebration
Just five men It was the stuff of dreams; fluent, assertive, irresistible. The kind of run which the great ones plan to perfection. He had emerged to a clamorous ovation, the kind which accentuates expectations. Yet he betrayed not a hint of pressure. After loitering at the back of the field through a funereal opening 1,000m, he moved through the field as the pace grew more brisk.
His reputation precedes him and we could sense the rest of the field glancing across at him, suspecting his intentions. He did not conceal them for long. Going into the second kilometre, he made his move and arrived at the front. The noise battered the ears as the stadium reacted with screeching support, but Mo was the coolest man in Stratford.
Five laps remained when the Ethiopians took it on, running hard. Four were left when Mo rejoined the argument, answering the pace in kind. With three to go, he was in third place and a genuine factor. And then the plot unfolded. With the pace lifting to agonising levels, with 700 metres still to cover, Mo hit the front.
Golden moment: Farah kisses the track after winning his second gold medal
In a league of his own: Farah won the 5,000m to add to add to his 10,000m crown
Everyone wants an piece of him: Farah celebrates with the maskot Wenlock
Fan club: Farah celebrates with his wife Tania and Rhianna
Beautifully balanced, free from stress, showing not a trace of weariness from last Saturday’s 10,000m, he began to inflict real pain on the pursuers. The noise became unbearable, the tension relentless.
The crowd of 80,000 were on their feet, pleading for his success, bellowing him home. If he heard, then his running gave no sign. When he is moving well, there is something metronomic about his stride. And in those closing stages he was moving extremely swiftly. Kenya’s Thomas Longosiwa made his effort and was rebuffed. Then, more menacingly, Dejen Gebremeskel of Ethiopia attacked off the final bend. For a few strides, it seemed that his pace might prevail, but Mo’s reaction mocked our fears. Imperceptibly, he lengthened his stride, breaking the challenge with a dozen metres.
Looking nervous: David Beckham and Boris Johnson and Sir Menzies Campbell cheer on Farah
Getting exciting: Beckham and Johnson watch Farah close in on victory
He's done it: Beckham and Johnson celebrate as Farah crosses the line
And then he was free, driving to the line, pausing to paw at his face, then doing that daft little thing he does with his hands bouncing against his head.
The faint air of apprehension was gone, replaced with an ecstatic smile. He knew how much it had cost him, he knew just how much it meant; to himself, to his family, to the Games and to the nation. A wonderful bedlam reigned in the Olympic stadium.
On the last night of competition, we had found our most enduring memory.
Giving it everything: Farah shows the effort he put in to win gold
Getting his tactics right: Farah ran the perfect race
Keeping an eye on his rivals: Farah was in control of the race
He sought out his pregnant wife at trackside, he clothed himself in the Union Flag, he even posed for pictures with importunate fans. It was a dignified lap of honour and his immediate reactions were equally impressive.
‘It’s unbelievable’, he said. ‘I didn’t feel so good in my heat and I thought the other runners would do something to get rid of me, but they didn’t, so that worked out. The American tried to come past me at one point but I didn’t let him. I just knew I couldn’t let anyone past me.
‘I’d just like to thank my wife, she’s carrying twins and I didn’t want to know anything about it if it happened in the run-up, but that has worked out. They could arrive any moment. Everything has its time and this has worked out for me. I’ve got two gold medals, who would have thought it?
No way through: Farah keeps his place at the front
‘I’ve grafted and grafted to get here and it’s just hard work. To anyone out there, all it takes is hard work.
‘I just want to thank everyone who has supported me. All my coaches down the years and everyone who has helped me get here.’
It was elegant, sincere and deeply moving; just the way the great ones ought to behave. And Mo Farah, double Olympic champion at the Games of London, knows that his place among those great ones is now unassailable.
Running on his turf: Farah is cheered home by 80,000 fans inside the Olympic Stadium
MO FARAH FACTFILE
1983: March 23 - Born in Mogadishu, Somalia. He would arrive in Britain as a refugee at the age of eight.
2001: Wins first major title by winning the 5,000 metres at the European Junior Athletics Championships in Athens.
2006: Wins silver in the 5,000m at the European Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. Wins the European Cross Country Championship in December of the same year.
2007: Finishes sixth in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
2008: Fails to reach the final of the 5,000m at the Beijing Olympics.
2009: Breaks the British 3,000m record twice in a matter of weeks early in the year and goes on to take gold in the same event at the European Indoor Championships. Finishes seventh in the 5,000m at the World Championships in Berlin, the top European.
2010: July 27 - Wins the 10,000m at the European Championships in Barcelona.
July 31 - Completes a distance running double by claiming gold in the 5,000m.
August 19 - At a Diamond League meeting in Zurich, sets a new British record with a time of 12:57.94 in the 5,000m.
2011: February - Announces he is relocating to Portland, Oregon, to train under Alberto Salazar.
February 19 - Sets a British indoor record with a time of 13:10.60 in the 5,000m at Birmingham.
March 5 - Wins gold in the 3,000m at the European Indoor Championships.
March 20 - Wins the NYC Half Marathon with a time of one hour 23 seconds after entering late when a planned 10,000m event in New Zealand was cancelled due to earthquake damage.
June 3 - Sets a new British and European record of 26:46.57 to win the 10,000m at a Diamond League meeting in Eugene.
July 22 - Sets a British record of 12:53.11 in the 5,000m at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco.
August 28 - Wins 10,000m silver at the World Championships in Daegu.
September 4 - Wins 5,000m gold at the World Championships in Daegu.
2012: March 11 - Misses out on a medal in the 3,000m at the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul, finishing fourth.
June 2 - Runs fastest 5,000m of the year, clocking 12:56.98 to win the Diamond League race in Eugene, beating Olympic champion and world record holder Kenenisa Bekele.
June 27 - Becomes the first man to retain the 5,000m title at the European Championships by winning gold in Helsinki.
August 4 - Wins the 10,000m Olympic title at London 2012.
August 11 - Adds the 5,000m title for a second London 2012 gold.
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