Jeilian, Farah, Tanui, Rupp,
photo by Pretty Sporty Photos, Cheryl Treworgy
The Men’s 10,000 meters was my favorite event of day one. It was a race than answered many questions. How fit was Galen Rupp? Could Mo Farah win the 10,000 meters? Would Ibrahim Jeilian challenge once again.
In a blistering last kilometer, run in 2:26, Mo Farah wound up the final pace, running the penultimate lap in just over sixty seconds. The final lap was run in 55.5 and it was a battle to the finish.
In 2011, Ibrahim Jeilian caught Mo Farah just before the finish because Farah had nothing left. In 2013, Mo Farah had imprinted on his brain what Jeilan taught him: always have something left.
As Ibrahim Jeilan, defending champion came up on Mo Farah with less than 100 meters to go, Farah pulled out another gear and put daylight between himself and Jeilan, making it clear who the 2013 champion was. A fitting finish for Mo Farah, who is the smartest tactician in long distance running today.
If his British record at 1,500 meters did not show you how good Mo Farah is, the 10,000 meters should. Now, Friday night and the 5,000 meters, which should be even more exciting!
Mo Farah, Men’s 10,000 meters, photo by PhotoRun.net