Mo Farah

At 41 years old, Mo Farah has this physical status:

Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born 23 March 1983) is a British distance runner.

Farah is the second best-selling British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history, after Lasse Virén, to win both the 5000 m and 10,000 m titles at successive Olympic Games.

He also completed the 'distance double' at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics.

He was the second man in history to win long-distance doubles at successive Olympics and World Championships, and the first in history to defend both distance titles in both major international tournaments, after Kenenisa Bekele.

Farah's first appearance in the 10,000 meters at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, an unbroken streak of ten global final victories (the 5000m in 2011 and the double in 2012, 2013, and 2016).

The streak came to an end in Farah's final championship track race when he came in second to Ethiopia's Muktar Edris in the 2017 5000 meters final.

Early life and education

Hussein Abdi Kahin (Somali: Xuseen Cabdi Kaahin) was born on March 23, 1983 in Somaliland (then completely integrated into Somalia). His father died in the civil war when he was four years old, and he later became estranged from his mother. As a child, he spent a few years in Mogadishu. He was unlawfully transported to the United Kingdom via Djibouti at the age of nine when he was given the name Mohammed Farah and was forced to work as a domestic servant. He was taken from the country by a woman he had never met and was asked to look after another family's children. He obtained British citizenship under the name Mohamed Farah in July 2000. These facets of his history were not announced until July 2022, and a barrister warned him that if his British citizenship was stolen by misrepresentations, he might lose his British citizenship; the Home Office, on the other hand, said he would not face any consequences.

He was not allowed to go to school in the first years, but when he was 11 or 12 years old, he began attending Year 7 at Feltham Community College, where staff were told he was a Somali refugee from Somalia. Alan Watkinson, a physical education teacher, first noticed his athletic abilities. Farah's ambition was to become a car mechanic or play as a right winger for Arsenal's football team.

Personal life

Farah lives in London, England. Farah revealed his birth name as Hussein Abdi Kahin in July 2022. During the Isaaq genocide in the Somaliland War of Independence, his father was killed by a stray mortar round when he was four years old. Farah, 8, and his brother, Hassan, were sent to live with his uncle in Djibouti. Farah claims he was taken to the United Kingdom by a woman he didn't know and was told to use the name Mohamed Farah, which was taken from another child a few years ago. He was forced to work for her and her family members and was refused from calling his own once he had arrived in London. Farah was allowed to start school at the age of 12, and he later confided in his PE instructor, who called social services, who arranged for Farah to be care for by another family. Later in life, his tutor helped him apply for British citizenship. Farah, a young man from Somaliland, has kept in touch with his birth family, and his mother and two brothers live on a farm in Somaliland. Farah had claimed that he had been separated from his twin Hassan aged eight when the family left to join their father, who was still living and studying in the United Kingdom; Hassan was ill; unable to travel, so he stayed in Djibouti; but when his father returned home, the family had moved, and could not be found for ten years; he had been looking for his father.

Farah married Tania Nell in Richmond, London, in April 2010. Paula Radcliffe, Steve Cram, Hayley Yelling, Jo Pavey, Mustafa Mohamed, and Scott Overall, who was a usher, were among the guests at the wedding. Rihanna, Farah's stepdaughter, has been in this family for the past. Aisha and Amani, he and his wife's twin daughters, were born in August 2012. Farah and Nell had a son named Hussein in 2015.

Farah lived with his family in Portland, Oregon, the United States, from 2011 to 2017 so he could train full time with the Nike Oregon Project. He ended his relationship with his mentor Alberto Salazar and returned to London at the end of 2017. "Tania and I realized how much we've missed spending time with our friends and families, and the kids are so happy here." We want the kids to grow up in the United Kingdom. It's the right thing to do for my family.

Farah is a Muslim writer and is a big supporter of the Muslim Writers Awards. "I normally pray before a race, I read dua [Islamic prayers or invocations], consider how long I've worked and just go for it." "The Qur'an" insists that you should work hard in whatever you do, so I work hard in preparation, and that has a lot to do with being healthy. [It] doesn't just happen overnight, you have to prepare for it and believe in yourself; that's the most important thing." Farah was ranked as one of the world's most influential Muslims in 2013.

Farah is also a fan of Arsenal F.C., and has trained with the first team squad. He has expressed an interest in becoming a fitness coach at the Emirates Stadium in Holloway once he retires so as to improve the team's conditioning results. In October 2013, he published Mo Farah, Twin Ambitions: My autobiography in Canary Wharf, London.

Farah has a large fanbase on social media. About 1.5 million followers on Twitter, 1.2 million on Facebook, and 1.2 million on Instagram. He was the top-ranked query for a sportsperson on the search engine Microsoft UK Bing in 2013 if not a footballer.

Farah has been involved in several charitable causes, including the establishment of the Mo Farah Foundation following a trip to Somalia in 2011. He appeared on ITV's The Cube in 2011 and raised £250,000 for his charity, becoming the only one to win the top prize on the show. Farah later participated in the 2012 Olympic hunger summit in 10 Downing Street, hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron, as part of a series of international efforts to respond to hunger's rising as a high-profile global issue.

Farah's Olympic memorabilia has also been auctioned off to raise funds for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). He joined legislators and activists in a movement to convince Barclays Bank to reverse its decision to withdraw from the UK remittance market in 2013. Farah's often used money transfer agents to remittances to family, and some of the world's largest organizations and charities, including the UN and his own foundation, often paid staff and distributed funds through these services. Farah, singer Robbie Williams, and a number of other celebrities have advised Chancellor George Osborne to tighten their grip on multinational companies that do not pay taxes in poor countries in which they operate. He has also advocated for brain tumor research.

Farah became a worldwide ambassador for Marathon Kids on August 7, 2017. "I love running," Farah said about his current position, and it has given me and my family so much." I know how important it is for my children to be healthy, as a parent, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to encourage children to run with Marathon Kids.

Farah has endorsement agreements with several businesses, including PACE Sports Management, Nike, Lucozade, Quorn, Bupa, and Virgin Media. He works with Nike Inc. and specialises in clothing and shoes. Farah moved his principal residence in 2013 to Portland, where he spends the majority of the year's training.

Farah signed a media contract with Quorn in December 2013, the first part of a multimillion-pound advertising campaign aimed at doubling the company's profits. He produced television ads for Quorn's vegetarian proteins of protein, and the campaign was scheduled to last all year.

Farah confessed to being stopped a number of times by US Customs authorities under suspicion of being a terrorist, which he attributed to confusion between his full name "Mohamed" and a computerised check-in process. On one occasion after the 2012 Olympics, he said he had attempted to establish his identity by displaying his Olympic gold medals to customs officials, but that this was not accepted.

Farah posted a note on his Facebook page that "I will have to tell my children that Daddy will not be able to come home" after US President Donald Trump temporarily suspended immigration for Somali-born U.S. permanent residents.

Farah posted a video on Instagram depicting what he suspects to be racial abuse at Munich Airport in March 2018.

Farah will be the star of the twentieth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, in November 2020. On December 2, he became AJ Pritchard's eighth celebrity to be unveiled on December 2, 2020.

The BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah revealed a true account of Farah's childhood in July 2022. Farah's investigation intos his past includes his wife and son Hussein, reuniting with his Somali family, and the woman who raised him after he left domestic servitude. It has been lauded for its contributions.

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Sporting career

Farah was a student at the University of Hounslow Athletic Club in west London and joined the Borough of Hounslow Athletic Club. He represented Hounslow in the 1994 London Youth Games as an under-13 boy. He entered the English schools cross-country championships in 1996, finishing ninth at the age of 13. He captured the first of five English school titles the following year. Recognizing his ability, athletics philanthropist Eddie Kulukundis paid the legal fees to complete Farah's naturalisation as a British citizen, enabling him to travel without visa restrictions.

Farah's first major title came in the 5000 meters at the 2001 European Athletics Junior Championships, the same year he began training at St Mary's University, Twickenham. Farah was one of the first two athletes to join the newly formed Endurance Performance Centre in St Mary's last year. He lived and worked at the college and took some modules in an accessibility course before becoming a full-time athlete as his career progressed.

Farah joined Australian Craig Mottram and a group of Kenyan runners that included 10,000 m world number one Micah Kogo in 2005. "They sleep, eat, train, and sleep, but athletes have to do all those things as an athlete." "Running with Craig made me feel more confident," Farah said. "I never want to be as good as these actors, I've got to work harder." I don't want to be the British top flight, I want to be up there with the best."

Farah became the country's second-fastest runner after Dave Moorcroft in July 2006. Farah won the silver medal in the European Championship 5000m in Gothenburg a month later. Farah's coaches, Alan Storey and Mark Rowland, made sure the Farah remained competitive, and Paula Radcliffe's words before the 5000 m final inspired Farah. "She said to me, 'Go out and be brave,'" he said to me. "Just believe in yourself." Farah won the 2006 European Cross Country Championships in San Giorgio su Legnano, Italy, in December 2006.

During the 2007 European Indoor Championship Farah, everyone was dissatisfied with the fact that they had begun running in the wrong direction. In the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, Farah represented the United Kingdom at 5000 meters. Farah finished sixth in a time of 13:47.54.

Farah ran 10,000 m events in May 2008, the fastest UK men's time in almost eight years. However, he was disqualified before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the 5000 m final.

Farah set a new British indoor record in the 3000 meters in January 2009, beating John Mayock's record by 7 minutes 40.99 seconds in Glasgow. At the UK Indoor Grand Prix in Birmingham, he broke his own record by more than six seconds in a time of 7 minutes 34.47, according to commentator Steve Cram, who praised "the highest British distance runner for a lifetime." Farah attributed his good form to a period of winter training at altitude in Ethiopia and Kenya. He claimed gold in the 3000 meters at the European Indoor Championships in Turin in March 2009, a time of 7 minutes 40.17.

Farah ran in the 2009 World Championships in Athletics: he was in the leading pack early in the 5000 meters run and ended eighth, the highest by a European runner. In spite of high winds, he won his first road race over ten miles, winning the Great South Run in 46:25 to become the third fastest Briton in the region.

Farah was one of the favorites to destabilize Serhiy Lebid's reign at the 2009 European Cross Country Championships. However, Lebid was never in question as Farah and Alemayehu Bezabeh were already some distance ahead of the time. Farah was defeated by Bezabeh in the later stages of the competition, leaving the Briton with his second consecutive silver medal at the event. However, he did not manage to attend the medal ceremony because he collapsed immediately after the race and needed medical assistance immediately. Farah competed in the short course event at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country, finishing in third place behind Edwin Soi at the BOclassic. He was the favorite to win and he took the lead early in the game. However, he was trained in the later stages and came third third behind British runners Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon. Farah needed post-race medical attention again, and subsequent tests revealed he had low iron and magnesium levels. He was prescribed vitamins for the illness and his high altitude training programs in Kenya were unaffected.

Farah took the 2010 London 10,000 in 27:44, beating 10K world record holder Micah Kogo in the process. He set a new personal record the following week, finishing in a time of 27:28.86. Farah won by a margin of over forty seconds over second place Abdellatif Meftah. After training in Africa, he returned to Europe for the 2010 European Athletics Championships. He earned the 10,000 meters gold medal after beating Ayad Lamdassem with two laps to go and finishing the race unhurried in 28:24.99. This was Farah's first major title and also the first European gold medal in the event for Great Britain. He then went on to win the 5000 m double, beating Jeszkowiak of Poland in 1950, and Italy's Salvatore Antibo in 1990, following in the footsteps of Czech Emil Zátopek's 1954 feat, who died in the footsteps of the Czech Republic's Juha Vagrani in 1950, and 1991's Salvatore Antibo, a man of the Czech Republic.

Farah ran 5000 meters in 12:57.94, breaking David Moorcroft's long-running British record and becoming the first British athlete to run under 13 minutes in Zürich on August 19th.

Farah was named track-and-field athlete of the year by the British Olympic Association in December 2010. He ended the year at the BO championship and just missed out on the 10,000 meters, losing by 0.2 seconds to Imane Merga in a sprint finish.

Farah's 2011 was a fruitful year for the Edinburgh Cross Country, where he defeated the top four finishers of the previous year's European Championships to win the long run.

Farah revealed in February 2011 that he would be relocating to Portland, Oregon, to work with new coach Alberto Salazar, train alongside Galen Rupp, and escape the British tabloids' attention. Farah set a new European 5000 m indoor record on 19 February 2011 in Birmingham, England, while also knocking ten seconds off the 29-year-old British indoor record of Nick Rose. He claimed gold in the 3000 meters at the European Indoor Championships on March 5th. Farah also won the NYC Half Marathon in a time of 1:00:23, a new British record. Galen Rupp, his training partner, and him had intended to run in a 10,000 m run in New Zealand. However, after the race was postponed due to the Christchurch earthquake and injury to the track, they ran in the half-marathon in New York.

Farah won the Prefontaine Classic's 10,000 meter event in Eugene, Oregon, on June 3rd.57, setting a new British and European record. He set a new British national record in the 5000 m on July 22, 2011, at a Diamond League meeting in Monaco, in 11:53.11. Farah beat Bernard Lagat of the United States in the competition by a slim margin.

Farah became the first British man to win a World Championships medal in either distance in the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in Daegu, South Korea. Farah had in fact been more favored to win the 10,000 m title, but Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan was only marginally defeated in a last lap sprint. He defeated Lagat in the 5000 meters, putting him in second place. Farah was hailed as "the best male distance runner ever seen" following the marathon, according to Dave Moorcroft, a former world record holder.

He took the 5000m at the European Championships in June 2012. Farah was then the first person to win this European championship more than once.

Farah won the 10,000 m gold at the London 2012 Olympics in a time of 27:30.42. This was the first gold medal for the United Kingdom in the 10,000 m, and it came after two other gold medals for the country in the same athletics session. Galen Rupp, the United States' training partner, came in second place in second place. Both runners were coached by Alberto Salazar at the Nike Oregon Project at the time. Farah said he would fasten his Ramadan fast later this year. Farah made it a long-distance double by winning the 5000 meters in 13:41.66 seconds on August 11, 2012. The crowd in the 5,000-meter race was so loud it made the camera shake and blurred the photo finish photograph. He dedicated the two golds to his twin daughters.

Farah returned to action in Birmingham on September 23, 2012, where he won his second game in a distance of two miles (3.2 kilometers).

Farah was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for athletics after his 2012 triumphs. Many in the general public, including former Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, were outraged by the decision, who believed that Farah deserved a higher accolade. Alan Watkinson, Farah's former physical education instructor, expressed disappointment that Farah was not knighted and that the decision "discredits the system," according to Farah's former chief. Despite this achievement, Mo and well deserved" is still a high success. However, deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg cited Farah's Olympic double gold triumph in his 2013 New Year's message and 2012 Autumn conference, and David Cameron in August 2013 expressed support for a knighthood for Mo Farah.

Farah set a new European 1500 m record in Monaco on 19 July 2013, defeating Herculis' 13.73.281.81 Fermn Cacho's 16-year-old European record set him as the sixth fastest man to cross the distance, beating Steve Cram's 28-year-old British record and Fermn Cacho's 16-year-old European record. Farah became the seventh man in the 1500 meters and the 13-minute record, behind Sad Aouita, Daniel Komen, Hicham El Guerrouj, Augustine Kiprono Choge, and Bernard Lagat, as the first woman to run sub 3:30, sub 13-minute, and sub 27 minutes respectively. In addition, he has a sub 1 hour run in the half-marathon.

Farah completed the London Diamond League Anniversary Games' 3000 meters event in a record time of seven minutes and 36.85 seconds in less than a month. He twice set a national record in the half-marathon, first in New Orleans on February 24th, and then broke his own record on September 15 in the BUPA Great North Run.

Farah stayed in front of Ibrahim Jeilan to win the 10,000 m race at the World Championships in Moscow on August 10. It was his fourth world title. Farah won the 5,000 meter event on August 16, 2013, becoming the first world and Olympic champion. Farah has been voted Britain's best ever celebrity' after this triumph, according to BBC commentator Brendan Foster and Sebastian Coe. After Kenenisa Bekele's 2008–09 success, Farah became the second man in history to win long-distance titles at successive Olympics and World Championships editions. He was the first British athlete to win two individual gold medals at a World Championships.

Farah was the second favorite, behind Wimbledon tennis champion Andy Murray, to be named the BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December 2013. When asked what motivated him to push the boundaries of athletic achievement, he cited sprinter Usain Bolt's record breaking streak as an encouraging example of what is possible for all dedicated athletes.

Farah was a finalist for the 2013 IAAF World Athlete of the Year award. He also increased his training schedule to 120 miles a week in preparation for his marathon debut.

Farah's first marathon appearance in 2014 was planned for the year's London Marathon. He referred to the festival as a long-running goal of his, particularly in London. Farah took eighth place in a time of 2:08.21. This was outside Steve Jones' record, but it did lead to a new English national record.

Farah would have been able to compete at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, he recovered due to stomach ailment and an infection resulting from having a tooth extracted. Farah returned to Zürich at the 2014 European Athletic Championships Championships. He defended his 5000 m title and gained a gold in the 10,000 m, thus completing another major championship double. With five titles to his name, he was the most influential individual in the European Athletic Championships' history, with five titles to his name.

Farah ran in the Great North Run, a British half marathon, on September 7, 2014, on September 7th. He finished the race in 1:00:00, exactly 1 hour.

Farah set a new indoor two-mile world record at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix on February 21, 2015. Kenenisa Bekele's record was shattered by his 8:03.4 runs to top him. Farah ran a half marathon in Lisbon on March 22nd. He ran a time of 59 minutes, 32 seconds, smashing the record set 14 years ago by Spain's Fabián Roncero. At the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, he repeated his long-distance gold medal double. At age 32, he became the oldest World Championship winner in the 10,000m.

Farah received a bronze medal in the 2016 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff on March 26, finishing in 59:59, less than a second ahead of Abayneh Ayele. Farah won the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix 3000m competition on February 20th. Farah won the Diamond League in Birmingham on June 5, a victory he dedicated to the recently deceased boxer Muhammad Ali. Farah ran the fastest time in London in July 2016 winning the Diamond League. In a time of 26:53.71, he won the 10,000m at the Diamond League in Eugene, the second-fastest time in the year.

Farah won gold medal in the 10,000 meters at the Rio Olympics on August 13th, the first time a Briton had won three athletic gold medals. He collapsed after being mistakenly clipped on the back of his heel by American Galen Rupp on the tenth lap but went on to win gold in 27:05.17 seconds. Rupp slowed down after Farah's departure to check his health and ended in fifth place with a record of 27:08.92. Farah's final lap met Paul Tanui, who took the lead with 300 meters remaining. Farah had a 100-meter lead when he came out. Tanui took second place in a time of 27:05.64 seconds.

Farah earned her second gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the Rio Olympics on August 20th. Farah was aiming to win gold medals in the 10,000 meters and 5,000 meters, repeating his success from the London Olympics. Farah held the lead and ended with a time of 13:03:30, making it his second time someone has retained the 5000m and 10,000m Olympic titles after Lasse Virén of Finland in 1972 and 1976. In September 2016, he won the Great North Run for the third year in a row.

He was the fastest person from Europe in 2016 over two middle distance and three long distance runs; the 1500 meters, 3000 meters, 10,000 meters, and the half-marathon respectively. His ninth international title, the 5000m in Rio, named him as the most consistent winner of gold in major long-distance events in history. In 2016, he was unbeaten in the 3000m as well as six other races over the 10,000m and 5,000 meters.

Following the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Farah announced that he would transition from track events to marathons. He won the 10,000m championship and finished second in the 5,000m competition after Ethiopia's Muktar Edris.

Farah's final two track events in the Diamond league took place in Birmingham and Zurich. In a final sprint against Paul Chelimo and Muktar Edris just behind in 13:06.09, he claimed his final 5,000 meters in the Diamond league on August 24, 2017, ending in 13:06.05.

Farah said on August 20th, 2017 that he had reiterated his decision to run in the marathon full-time, and that he made news when he declared after running his last 10,000m race on British soil at the Muller Grand Prix in Birmingham that he would never again run in a GB vest.

Farah won the Great North Run for the fourth time in a row on September 10, 2017. He finished in 1:00:06, 6 seconds ahead of Jake Robertson.

Farah resigned from Alberto Salazar on October 31 in order to be mentored by Gary Lough, husband and former coach of Paula Radcliffe. Salazar said the divorce was mutual and that he would be able to assist Farah in the future.

Farah ran the inaugural London Big Half Marathon in March 2018, his first marathon appearance in six months, in March 2018. Farah finished third in the London Marathon in 2:06:22, just shy of beating Steve Jones' British record of 2:07:13 set in 1985. Farah claimed the Great North Run for the fifth time in a row on September 9, 2018. In the process, he won his first gold medal in the marathon distance and set a new European record of 2 hours 5 minutes and 11 seconds, an increase by 37 seconds.

Farah said in February 2019 that he would run in the London Big Half Marathon again this year. In an interview, he also stated that he is considering competing in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, which would be his fourth Olympic games if confirmed. He reflected on his track retirement, adding that, as well as saying that it would depend on whether his wife and children "let him."

He has also stated that he will run in the 10,000 meters at the World Championships in Doha in late 2019, but that will depend on the results of the 2019 Big Half Marathon. This possibility was later confirmed by Neil Black, British Athletics' performance director, who has said that Farah had received financial support from the National Lottery in anticipation of both his Championships and the Tokyo Olympics.

Farah won his second London Big Half Marathon on March 10th and announced his second attempt at running the 10,000m at the World Championships in October 2019. Farah finished in fifth place in the 2019 London Marathon in April at 2:05:39.

Farah won the 2019 Great North Run for the sixth time in a row, a new personal record of 59:07.

Farah revealed on November 29, 2019 via his YouTube channel, that he plans to return to defend his 10,000 m Olympic title at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Farah said he'll put his marathon training on hold until he returned to track oriented training.

Farah set a new all-time record for the one hour run at the 2020 Diamond League meeting in Brussels, Belgium, covering 21,3 meters (13.25 miles), beating Haile Gebrselassie's record of 21,285 meters (13.25 miles) set in the Czech Republic on September 27, 2010.

Farah spent several weeks in Ethiopia altitude before competing at the Djibouti International Half Marathon. Farah finished the race in 1:03:07. Farah qualified in Flagstaff, United States, and he returned to the United Kingdom, where he competed in the 2021 European 10,000m Cup in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 2017. This result brought him a tally bad run in the 10,000 meters from 2011 to 2021, placing him eighth in eighth place in a time of 27:50.64. Farah recovered after suffering a foot/ankle injury.

Farah failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on June 25, 2021, despite it being a stadium record. The 10,000m's cut-off time for Olympic Qualification is 27:28.00, putting Farah 19 seconds off target. When asked whether this will lead to the end of his distinguished career, he replied, "It's a tough one." If I can't compete with the best, I'm not going to finish in a final. It's not good enough tonight, as shown by the television show "Itay" from my perspective.

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