‘Disappointed’ Farah focused on Games
Twickenham’s Mo Farah hopes defeat will make him stronger in Olympic year after a new British and European indoor two-mile record was not enough to secure victory in Birmingham.
Farah came second at the Aviva Grand Prix, behind Olympic silver medallist Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, with a time of eight minutes 8.07 seconds.
“It’s tough out there, you know, you can’t always win and races like that really keep you on our toes,” he said.
“I was a bit disappointed with the race; it felt a bit heavy. I felt a bit flat on the last kilometre because I’d been up with the pace early on, but it’s coming together.”
Farah enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2011, winning 5,000m gold and silver over 10,000m at the World Championships in South Korea in August, and could now target two gold medals at London 2012.
On Saturday, the 28-year-old broke John Mayock’s 10-year-old British mark in the rarely contested indoor event but his inability to stay with the leader’s pace will have worried him and coach Alberto Salazaar.
Farah led early in the 16-lap race but Kipchoge eased past with two laps remaining, leaving the Briton struggling to hold on to second place.
He later admitted he is unsure whether he will take part in the World Indoor Championships in Istanbul from 9-11 March.
He may instead choose to return to training in the United States, where he moved a year ago to be nearer Salazaar.
Farah paid tribute to the hearty home crowd, adding: “I appreciate everyone’s help and I’ve just got to keep working hard.”
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