10 World/Olympic Titles - the most by a British Male.
His PB's in the 5000/10000 were set before he won his first title.
Was undefeated by a British athlete on the track for 9 years - from 2012 when losing to Anthony Joshua over 100m in Superstars (!!) to 2021.
Won twenty national titles. 14 senior (nine on the road) and six age group (three track and three at cross country)
Records* as of April 2020
1500m ER - 3:28.81
2 Miles ER - 8:07.85
10000m ER - 26:46.57
3000m BR - 7:32.62
5000m BR - 12:53.11
10000m BR - 26:46.57
HM BR - 59:32
Mar BR - 2:05:11
Major Championships and International Highlights
2017 - World Championships - 5000m SILVER, 10000m GOLD.
2016 - Olympic Games - 5000m GOLD, 10000m GOLD
2015 - World Championships - 5000m GOLD, 10000m GOLD.
2014 - European Championships - 5000m GOLD, 10000m GOLD.
2013 – World Championships 5000m GOLD, 10,000m GOLD. European Athletics Team Championships 5000m GOLD
2012 – Olympic Games 10,000m GOLD, 5000m GOLD. European Championships 5000m GOLD. World Indoor Championships - 3000m 4th.
2011 – World Championships 10,000m siver, 5000m GOLD. European Indoor Championships - 3000m GOLD
2010 – European Championships 10,000m GOLD, 5000m GOLD. World XC Championships 21st.
2009 – World Championships 5000m 7th. European Indoor Championships - 3000m GOLD.
2008 – Olympic Games 5000m 6th. European XC Championships SILVER (3rd team), World Indoor Championships 3000m 6th.
2007 – World Championships 5000m 6th. European Indoor Championships 3000m 5th. World XC Championships 11th.
2006 – European Championships 5000m SILVER. Commonwealth Games 5000m 9th. European XC Championships GOLD
2005 – European Indoor Championships 3000m 6th. European U23 Championships 5000m SILVER
2003 – European U23 Championships 5000m SILVER
2001 – European Junior XC Championships - SILVER (2nd team)
2000 – European Junior XC Championships 7th (2nd team)
1999 – World Youth Championships 3000m 6th. European Junior XC Championships 5th (1st team)
Domestic Championships Record
2018 - British HM Championships - HM 1st
2011 – Aviva World Trials 5000m gold
2009 – Aviva UK Indoor Championships 1500m gold
2008 – Olympic Trials 1500m silver
2007 – Norwich Union European Indoor Champs Trials 3000m gold, Norwich Union World Trials 5000m gold
2006 – AAA Championships 5000m silver
2005 – AAA Indoor Championships 3000m gold, European XC Champs Trials gold
2003 – AAA Indoor Championships 3000m gold
2002 – AAA U20 Championships 5000m silver
2001 – AAA U20 Championships 1500m bronze, ESAA Championships 1500m silver
2000 – AAA U20 Championships 1500m silver
1997 – ESAA Championships (U20) 1500m gold, AAA U15 Championships 3000m gold
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, he moved to England in 1993 and was identified at school as having great potential by his PE teacher, Alan Watkinson and went on to be a very successful junior athlete, winning a silver medal at the European Junior Cross Country Championships. The Alan Storey-coached athlete only made a breakthrough on to the senior stage in 2006, when he lowered his lifetime best from 13:30.53 to 13:09.40 in Heusden, before winning the silver medal at the European Championships behind Jesus Espana from Spain.
He won his first major title at the 2006 European Cross Country Championships and was an impressive 11th at the World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa.
At the 2007 World Championships, he made his first world final, finishing a creditable 6th and then improved his lifetime best to 13:07.00 at the Ivo Van Damme Memorial in Brussels.
He was sixth at the 2008 World Indoor Championships in Valencia and apart from a victory at the European Cup, the summer campaign was something of a disappointment, as he failed to progress through his heat at the Olympic Games, although he did end the year on a high with a third successive win on Tyneside, winning the Great North Mile. After a six-week training stint in Ethiopia, he won the silver medal at the European Cross Country Championships.
In 2009, Farah smashed John Mayock’s 3000m indoor record in Glasgow, clocking 7:40.99 on his seasonal debut, thanks to hard training in Kenya after the European Cross, but he improved that again to 7:34.47 in Birmingham. This moved him to second on the European all-time list behind Alberto Garcia, who failed a drugs test soon afterwards and only Dave Moorcroft has run faster outdoors for a British athlete.
Farah lived up to the pre-race expectations in the European Indoor final, taking the gold medal in a championship record of 7:40.17. He won the inaugural European Team Championship 5000m in Lieira, Portugal but finished a slightly disappointing 7th in the World Championship final in Berlin after a rewarding year where he finished top of the British rankings at 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10k road 27:50 (British record). However, 2010 was to be his year with an early season victory at the European Team Championship over 5000m followed by a life-time best and victory over 10,000m in the European Cup and then at the European Championships in Barcelona he showed his true class with a double gold strike taking the 5000m and 10000m with ease. The best was still to come and at last he finally broke David Moorcroft's long standing UK record over 5000m with a world-class 12:57.94 at the IAAF Diamond League Meeting in Zurich.
2011 started off in fine style with victories at the European Indoor Championships and a glimpse of the future with a resounding win in the New York City Half Marathon clocking 60:23. However, he finally entered the true echelons of world-class with a record shattering performance in Eugene where he decimated the UK record over 10,000m with a world-leading 26:46.57. At the World Championships in Daegu he finished a close second over 10,000m in a frantic last lap. A few days later however he entered the record books as a World champion over 5000m with a resounding victory.
2012 proved beyond all doubt that he was the best endurance athlete in the world with a resounding victory at the European Championships over 5000m and then a few weeks later he set the stadium alight with two golds at the Olympic Games over 5000m and 10,000m.
He lists his heroes as Muhammed Ali and Ryan Giggs.
