Abby Brammell

By Neil Wilson in Barcelona

Pure joy: Mo Farah celebrates victory in Barcelona


Mo Farah, a giant grin on his face, ended 76 barren years for Britain's 10,000 metre runners when he crossed the line in the Olympic Stadium to win the European gold that had eluded generations of great competitors.

And the celebration doubled when his friend and training partner Chris Thompson chased him down the straight to win the silver in a time shared with Italian bronze medallist Daniele Meucci.

The British pair had trained together in the French Pyrenees and they helped each other in the race. When they accompanied each other on the victory lap, two Union flags were linked to the Somalian flag of Farah's birth.

The victor declared: 'That was amazing. This has never been done before and it feels just great. To win with him second is the best result I could have expected.'


Friends reunited: Farah and Thompson embrace after their glory run in Barcelona


Thompson pointed to his 27-year-old friend in the tunnel that exits the track and said: 'He is the greatest British endurance runner ever. And I'm the second best! Down the back straight it was all British flags. It was a glimpse of 2012, the best half-hour of my life.'

Even in the 1970s, the most glorious decade of endurance running in Britain when David Bedford and Brendan Foster shattered world records, no Briton managed to break the duck in Olympic, world or European competition by winning gold in this longest of track events. Such was the size of this triumph.

The 10,000 is a matter as much of mind as body. Rivals have to be out-thought as well as out-run and Farah played them all like a classical conductor.

He let others set a slow pace for 15 laps until Thompson became bored and went to the front. His friend, ever watchful, closed on his heels. The pace increased, the field spread but still two Spaniards dogged the Britons and four others stayed in contention.

Finally, with less than six laps to go, Farah made his move. Only Spain's Ayad Lamdassem stayed with him and with just three to go they were in conversation. Now the Spaniard led and Farah followed but with 320m to go, Farah chose the moment when they were lapping a group of back-markers to sprint.

The Spaniard was taken by surprise and done in. Thompson passed him and held off a late challenge from Meucci.


Out in front: Farah is tracked by Ayad Lamdassem, with Chris Thompson just behind


Four years ago, in Gothenburg, Farah was denied a European title at 5,000m when he was out-sprinted to the line by Spaniard Jesus Espana. Just nine one-hundredths of a second denied him the gold. This was his revenge.

Four years ago, the decline from the days of Bedford and Foster was so marked that Britain did not even enter this event.


The first sign of resurgence came in April when Thompson, an outstanding teenager who suffered a succession of injuries, ran 25 laps for the first time in California in a time only Eamonn Martin and Jon Brown had ever bettered among Britons.

Two weeks later, in only his second effort, Farah ran nearly a second quicker. Farah, a refugee from war-stricken Somalia when he was a boy, was always favourite to win the duel of two friends.

His championship record - a European silver at 5,000m, gold in the European cross-country in 2006 and European indoor 3,000m gold last year - showed the finer pedigree and so it proved.


source: dailymail