Mo Farah wins gold in Olympic Games 5,000m to complete 'double double'
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 21/08/16 10:24am
Mo Farah completed the 'double double' by winning the Olympic Games 5,000m title in Rio with a dominant display of distance running.
Farah sat off the pace set by two Ethiopian rivals in the early stages before controlling the last half of the race and winning with a handful of metres to spare.
Victory followed up his gold medal in the 10,000m final last weekend and added to the double gold he was able to celebrate on home turf in London four years ago.
The 33-year-old becomes only the second man after 'Flying Finn' Lasse Viren to win both titles at two Games.
Silver medallist Paul Chelimo of the United States and Ethiopia's Muktar Edris, who finished in bronze medal position, were both disqualified after the contest, which concluded with a rough and tumble final lap, albeit one not affecting Farah at all.
Chelimo was eventually restored to the silver medal placing and Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet took bronze ahead of Bernard Lagat of the USA, with the second British runner Andrew Butchart finishing in a superb sixth place.
Farah started in typical fashion, sitting at the back of the field, but he moved through to the front with less than 2,000m remaining and controlled the pace from that point.
Chelimo challenged with 400m remaining and Edris briefly came up alongside Farah down the back straight on the final lap, but the double London 2012 gold medallist had more in the locker and quickly restored his lead.
He had soon broken his toiling rivals and managed to build a couple of metres advantage which he held all the way to the line.
"Oh my God I can't believe it!" said Farah. "My legs were tired after the 10,000m and people had to bring me food in my room.
"This is the most satisfying win of the four, it is incredible. "To be honest I can't believe it. When Kenenisa Bekele won all those medals I said I just want one.
"If you have dreams they can come true and I always wanted to achieve these for my kids because for so much of the year you don't see them and thus you want to show them something or rather the reason for the absences."
