Sir Mo Farah is one of Britain’s greatest sportspeople, but he won’t be at the Paris Olympics this month.
The legendary long-distance runner is a four-time gold medal winner at the Games but he can’t add to that haul in the 2024 edition.
Farah became a national hero in 2012 when he formed part of ‘Super Saturday’ at the London Olympics.
The 41-year-old won gold in the 10,000m within minutes of Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford also finishing on top of the podium in the heptathlon and long jump respectively.
He followed that success with another seven days later in the 5,000m before doing the double once more in Rio at the 2016 Games.
But that was a long time ago, and here, talkSPORT.com looks at why Sir Mo Farah will not be at the 2024 Olympics.
Why is Sir Mo Farah not competing at the Paris Olympics?
Farah called time on his career in September 2023, taking part in one final Great North Run before calling it a day.
However, he had been out of track racing for even longer, officially ending his Team GB participation in 2017.
Farah’s career lasted 24 years, as his first event was in 1999.
He first qualified for the Olympics in 2008.
Unfortunately, he didn’t make the 5,000m, final and officially finished 17th.
However, across the next four years, Farah won two golds at the European Championships and also a gold at the World Championships, meaning by the time the Olympics rolled around, he was in the form of his life.
He claimed the 10,000m with a time of 27:30, becoming the first athlete from Great Britain to win gold in that event.
The following week, he became a double Olympic champion with gold in the 5,000m.
Then, in Rio, he did it all over again, although the 10,000m was a bit more tense this time because he fell.
American Galen Rupp accidentally clipped Farah’s heel partway around the course, but he picked himself up to win gold again.
However, it was very close, with Paul Tanui in the lead until the last 100m.
A week later, he became just the second person in Olympic history to retain the 10,000m and 5,000m titles.
But that was to be Farah’s last Olympics, as he announced in 2017 that he was switching to marathon running.
However, as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics loomed, Sir Mo Farah did contemplate a return to track running to compete in his fourth Olympics.
That decision was confirmed in November 2019, only for it all to fall apart.
Due to the COVID pandemic, Tokyo 2020 was delayed to 2021, and when qualifying for the Olympics, Farah failed to hit the required qualifying time.
He completed the 10,000m in 27:47, missing out by 19 seconds and thus ending his hopes of competing at a fourth Olympics.
That means Farah’s final appearance at the Games was in 2016.
However, he is sure to be cheering on Team GB from wherever he decides to watch this year’s edition of the Olympics.
News Summary:
- Why is Sir Mo Farah not competing at Paris Olympics? Team GB without four-time gold medalist
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