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,ray ban sale,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,Mulberry bags, 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
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.
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 mascot Wenlock
Beautifully balanced, free from stress,ray ban wayfarer, 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.
And then he was free,ghd sale, driving to the line,Mulberry uk, 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.
He sought out his pregnant wife at trackside,F1 standings 2013 Drivers and constructors points Mail Online,ray ban 3025, he clothed himself in the Union Flag, he even posed for pictures with importunate fans. It was a dignified lap of honour and hisimmediate reactions were equally impressive.
‘It’s unbelievable’,James Anderson Stuart Broads six for for England is fantastic Mail Online,ray ban wayfarer, 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,ray ban sale,, so that worked out. The American tried to come past me at one point but I didn’t let him. I justknew 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,ray ban 3025, but that has worked out. They could arrive any moment. Everything has its time and this has worked out for me. I’ve gottwo gold medals, who would have thought it?
‘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,Mulberry handbags, double Olympic champion at the Games of London, knows that his place among those great ones is now unassailable.