Flash quotes are provided to the media on each heat, round for major events. Here are the comments from the top three in the Men’s 10,000 meters.
Mo Farah wins 10,000m, photo by PhotoRun.net
Men’s 10,000m Final
Mo Farah (GBR) – Gold
Mo Farah, photo by PhotoRun.net
“It was amazing tonight, I had to get my head around it. I got a bit emotional at the start and then I just had to get in the zone. It has all been amazing.
“On encouraging the crowd:
“I just wanted to play with the guy’s head. It wasn’t an easy race though. It has been a long journey where I have worked very hard on long distance but also speed.
“But what a way to end my career in London. This was very special.
“I knew at 12 laps to go when they went hard from there I knew it was going to be tough. It was about believing in my sprint finish and knowing that I have been in that position before. It helped a lot having that experience.
“That was a special moment for me. I miss spending time with them (my family). To have my family on the track is very special.
“Anything is possible if you train hard.”
Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) – Silver
Joshua Cheptegei, Uganda, photo by PhotoRun.net
“The race was a really tough race, you know. I feel like my preparations were enough; my last lap was really poor but I feel like I’m coming good, I just need to do some more training, and I believe in the next edition of these championships it is going to be something different.
“The plan was to run a hard race. The opening lap was not a problem – I thought I was going at 65 (seconds), but I saw it coming at 61 and it was fine. I’m not upset about the loss because I am still young. Mo is a great guy and legend, so running with him in the last championship for him is really great.
Whether a silver medal makes up for losing his hold on gold in the junior race to eventually finish way back in the field at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships earlier this year:
“Now I feel happy because I have a medal in the senior race. I feel Kampala was just not my day, I was really in shape but it wasn’t my day. In the future, I hope it will be good again for me.”
Paul Tanui (KEN) – Bronze
Paul Tanui battles Mo Farah, photo by PhotoRun.net
“I feel a lot of happiness about my bronze medal, I am grateful. I do not feel like I lost the silver or gold medal even if I came second in Rio.
“We did not have team tactics, everybody was supposed to run at his best. My plan was to be in the medal bracket. I did not expect to win the bronze medal, we were just too many runners in the front group.
“The last lap was really, really hard. I had nothing left. I was not expecting such a fast race. There was no specific moment when I lost contact with Mo Farah. I do not think that I touched his heels on the last lap, at le
