Eugene, United States: Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah fired a warning shot to his rivals with the fastest time of the year after powering to victory in the 5,000m at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting on Saturday.
The British long distance king, racing in a track meeting on US soil for the last time, produced another flawless tactical display to come home in 13 min 00.70 sec at Eugene’s Hayward Field in Oregon.
The 34-year-old star, who completed an unprecedented ‘double-double’ of 5,000m and 10,000m gold at last year’s Olympics in Rio, crossed ahead of Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha in second and Kenya’s Geoffrey Kamworwor in third.
Afterwards Farah, who plans to retire from the track after August’s World Championships in London, said he had been determined to send a message to his main rivals in Oregon.
“For me it wasn’t about time. It was just a matter of telling the boys, ‘Look, I’m ready’,” Farah told reporters.
“A lot of the boys talk a lot. A lot of guys saying ‘I’m going to do this or that.’ But I don’t like to do that. I just want my running to do the talking and get on with it.”
Farah, who is also the reigning world champion over 5,000m and 10,000m, said he had got used to being regarded as the man to beat.
“I’ve got a target on my back,” Farah said. “I’ve been on the top of my game for the last five years and everyone wants to beat me.
“It’s hard trying to maintain it year after year. But I know what I have to do — eat, sleep and train properly. But that’s what it takes if you want to win medals.”
Farah said he plans to race in Usain Bolt’s farewell meeting in Kingston next month before heading to Europe to run in Ostrava.
