Rio Olympics 2016: Great Britain's Mo Farah wins 5,000m & 10,000m 'double double'

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Great Britain's Mo Farah won his fourth Olympic gold as he became only the second man to retain the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.

The 33-year-old triumphed in the 5,000m final in Rio to extend his tally as Britain's most successful Olympic track and field athlete of all time.

Farah won in 13 minutes 3.30 seconds as Scot Andrew Butchart finished sixth.

"It shows I didn't just fluke it in London. To do it again is incredible. I can't believe it," said Farah.

Farah's was Britain's 27th gold in Rio and their 65th medal, matching the haul at the 2012 Games in London.

They surpassed that 2012 tally when the women's 4x400m relay team won bronze in the penultimate track event of the 2016 Games.

More history for Mo

Farah cemented his place as one of Britain's greatest athletes with his double success four years ago, but repeating the feat makes him the world's most successful distance runner in terms of major medals.

"My legs were a bit tired after the 10k, I don't now how I recovered," he told BBC Sport. "I wished for just one medal as a junior.

"It has been a long journey but if you dream of something, have ambitions and are willing to work hard then you can get your dreams."

Somalia-born Londoner Farah is now a nine-time global champion, moving him above Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele.

He matched the feat of Finland's Lasse Viren, who completed the long-distance double at the Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 Olympics.

Farah had already achieved the World Championships 'double double', successfully defending his 10,000m and 5,000m titles in Beijing last year.

Analysis

Brendan Foster, Olympic medallist and BBC athletics commentator:

"What a moment. What a privilege to see this man collect a fourth Olympic medal in style. He did it the only way he knows how. Mo, you are a treasure. You are more than a national treasure. You are the greatest we have ever had and one of the greatest distance runners we have ever seen."

Michael Johnson, four-time Olympic medallist and BBC analyst:

"Everyone works hard, but it is also about working smart, finding the things that will really make those marginal gains, assessing and diagnosing what areas can improve. What else makes Mo special is his race intelligence and ability to show up on the day and deliver the performance he is capable of."

Paula Radcliffe, women's marathon world record holder:

"Mo does not believe he will be beaten. He sees no reason why he can't be competitive in every race he competes in."

Denise Lewis, BBC Sport athletics expert:

"It has been a privilege to see how he has progressed from that junior athlete who did not quite make it to this amazing athlete. But the decisions he has made over the last few years, to move to America and do what is needed to achieve success, shows how absolutely committed he is."

Mike Costello, BBC athletics correspondent:

"For the first time out of all his finals I've covered I didn't think he was going to win. It is astonishing he still had something in reserve. He ran the last of his 50 laps in Rio in 52 seconds. That's incredible."

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Farah brought out his 10,000m gold medal during the medal ceremony

How history was made

Farah was unusually animated before the race, geeing up the crowd as he approached the start line.

Media caption,

'You could be quite good you know'

He sat at the back of the field as Ethiopians Dejen Gebremeske and Hagos Gebrhiwet took turns to set a quick pace in the first half of the race.

Farah moved to the front shortly after the 3,000m mark, taking control of the pace before accelerating to hold on in the final straight.

"I was surprised by the first lap, I thought it was going to be a slow race," he said. "They had a plan. They wanted to take the sting out of me. But when I hit the front, I wasn't letting anyone past me."

Farah crossed the line with his arms outstretched, then knelt down to kiss the track in celebration.

He finished 0.6secs clear of American Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo, who was disqualified before being reinstated on appeal, with Gebrhiwet taking bronze.

Ethiopia's Muktar Edris, who crossed the line in fourth, and Canada's Mohammed Ahmed in fifth were disqualified, before Ahmed was reinstated.

Butchart, who ran a personal best of 13:08.61, beating his own Scottish record by nearly five seconds, initially finished seventh before being moved up to fourth and then back down to sixth.

When asked if he doubted that Mo Farah would take gold, the Scot said: "No. I have seen him training. Some of the stuff he does, nobody can do it. End of."

Social media reaction

Image source, Twitter
Image caption,

Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson was among the first to congratulate Farah

Image source, Twitter
Image caption,

The GOAT? Former England footballer Gary Lineker thinks so

Image source, Twitter
Image caption,

Even the Archbishop of York reckons it is time for 'Sir Mo' to arise

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