Who is Sir Mo Farah: all you need to know about the British legend

With an impressive list of achievements in distances ranging from the mile to the marathon, Mo Farah is considered one of the best British athletes of all time. He’s the most decorated track and field athlete, with four Olympic gold medals and six world titles to his name. Although he’s best known for his performances in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre events, he holds a host of British, European, and world records across numerous disciplines.

Farah announced his retirement in April 2023, marking the end of an outstanding run spanning almost three decades. His story is one of raw talent, overcoming the odds, and perseverance.

We take a look at some of the moments that have defined his glittering career.

Olympic titles

• London 2012: 5,000 m and 10,000 m
• Rio 2016: 5,000 m and 10,000 m

World titles

• Daegu 2011: 5,000 m
• Moscow 2013: 5,000 m and 10,000 m
• Beijing 2015: 5,000 m and 10,000 m
• London 2017: 10,000 m

Early career

Born in Somalia in 1983, Mo Farah had a difficult start to life. His father was killed when he was four, and then at age nine, he was taken from his family and trafficked illegally to the UK. When he began attending school in London at age twelve, his sports teacher recognised his running potential and encouraged him to take up training. The same teacher, whom Farah credits with his career, later helped him secure British citizenship.

He was propelled into the competitive circuit in 1994 with an appearance in the London Youth Games. In 1996, he came ninth in his first English schools cross-country championships before going on to win five titles over the following years. He won his first major title in the 5,000 metres at the 2001 European Athletics Junior Championships.

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Track and field career: Olympics and World Championships 

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, despite seeming to be in top form prior to the event, Farah failed to qualify for the 5,000 metre final. Spurred on by his greatest disappointment to date, he knuckled down, and after a winter training cycle at altitude in Ethiopia and Kenya, he came back to competition in 2009 with some strong performances.

2011 was a breakthrough year for Farah. He relocated to Portland to train with a new coach, Alberto Salazar, as part of the Nike Oregon Project. He took up a gruelling strength regime with the aim of increasing his speed and power in the closing stretches of his races. Mo went into the World Championships in Daegu with high hopes of becoming the first Briton to win the 10,000 metre title after having broken the European record for the distance three months earlier. He was beaten into second place during the final sprint, prompting him to review his race tactics. Not one to make the same mistake twice, he came away a few days later with his first world title in the 5,000 metre race.

Perhaps the most defining moment in Farah’s career came during the 2012 London Olympics, where, in front of his home crowd, he rounded off Super Saturday with Britain’s third gold of the day and first ever gold medal in the 10,000 metres. He continued to make history when he won a second gold in the 5,000 metre event just a few days later.

In both the Moscow 2013 and Beijing 2015 World Championships, Farah pulled off a double win in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre races. In the 2016 Rio Olympics, he secured a victory in the 10,000 metres after a nail-biting fall in the first half of the race. He went on to win the 5,000 metres a week later, becoming only the second man to repeat the double victory in consecutive Olympics and the first Briton to win over three Olympic gold medals in athletics.

After the London 2017 World Athletics Championships where he won the 10,000 metre event and came second in the 5,000 metres, Farah announced his retirement from track in favour of a full-time move to road racing. He also split from his long-time coach Alberto Salazar in favour of Gary Lough, husband and former coach of Paula Radcliffe. He moved from Portland back to the UK with his family. 

Marathon career

In preparation for his marathons in 2018, Farah won the inaugural London Big Half Marathon. In April, he came third in the London Marathon, setting a new British record. In October, he won the Chicago Marathon, coming in first place and improving his time to set a new European record in 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 11 seconds.

End of career and retirement

In 2019, Mo Farah surprised the world by announcing that he planned to return to track, saying that he missed the discipline and felt that he had more to give. However, in June 2021, Farah failed to score a qualifying time for the 10,000 metre event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

In 2023, he announced that he would participate in one last London Marathon, in which he finished in ninth place. His final competitive race was the 2023 Great North Run, where he finished in fourth place in front of thousands of fans.

Continuing the legacy

Mo Farah lives in London with his wife and four children. He continues to make a name for himself by supporting numerous organisations and charities, including the Mo Farah Foundation, which he set up in 2011. In 2017, he became a global ambassador for Marathon Kids, a charity that encourages children from all kinds of backgrounds to stay active.

He is also the first ever global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organisation for Migration, an organisation that promotes humane migration.

Mo Farah’s running legacy will live on as the most decorated runner in British athletics history and as the man who overcame incredible odds in pursuit of his dreams.

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