AFP/London
 |
| WELL DONE: Britain’s Mohamed Farah celebrates with a relative after winning the men’s 10,000m final at the athletics event of the London 2012 Olympic Games in London. (AFP |
Mo Farah produced a final-lap sprint to win a memorable gold in the men’s Olympic 10,000m yesterday that denied Ethiopian running legend Kenenisa Bekele a hat-trick of titles in the event.
The Somali-born Farah, who moved to Britain at the age of eight, timed 27min 30.42sec, with American training partner Galen Rupp taking silver in 27:30.90, and Ethiopian Tariku Bekele claiming bronze in 27:31.43.
Tariku’s brother and defending champion Kenenisa finished fourth (27:32.44), unable to come up with a kick to match that of Farah, the reigning world silver medallist in the distance.
It was Britain’s third gold of the night in front of a packed home crowd in the Olympic Stadium, after Jessica Ennis won the heptathlon and Greg Rutherford took a surprise long jump title.
A tearful Farah was greeted on the track by his daughter Rhianna and seven-month pregnant wife Tania as the crowd went crazy. “I just can’t believe it, the crowd got so much behind me and was getting louder and louder,” Farah said.
“I’ve never experienced something like this and it doesn’t come round often and to have it right on the doorstep and the amount of people supporting you and shouting out your name...
“It’s never going to get better than this, this is the best moment of my life.”
From the gun, Kenenisa Bekele raced straight to the front of the pack, Farah keen on his tail.
Kenyans Wilson Kiprop and former African junior champion Moses Masai, who placed fourth in the Athens Games in 2004, took up the running.
With 19 laps to go, Eritrea’s former world cross-country champion Zersenay Tadese split the field open when he upped the pace to a punishing level for five laps.
The Bekele brothers and the second Eritrean in the field, Teklemariam Medhin, stuck close as Tadese notched up a succession of 1min 4sec laps.
At the halfway point, Kenyan Bedan Karoki Muchiri had taken up the running as Tadese momentarily flagged.
Kiprop dropped out with eight laps to go as his teammates Muchiri and Masai controlled the pace, Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp moving up on their shoulder.
A compact leading peloton hit the line with 2km to go bristling for position, Farah running alongside Rupp behind Bekele and Muchiri.
In a tactical team move, Gebregziabher Gebremariam shot to the front with four laps remaining but ddid not have the steam to continue for long in front of the sell-out 80,000-capacity Olympic Stadium.
Farah hit the front at the bell to roars from the crowd and immediately bolted, taking Muchiri, the Bekeles and Rupp with him. As he entered the home stretch to deafening noise, Farah had enough to hold off Rupp and cap a remarkable night for Britain.
Kenenisa Bekele, who has slowly been coming back to form after spending two years battling a calf injury, came in a dejected figure in fourth.
Farah’s gold was Britain’s first ever in the 10,000m and the first medal of any kind over the distance since Mike McLeod’s silver in the Los Angeles Games in 1984. Rupp’s silver was the US team’s first since Billy Mills’ victory in the 1964 Games in Tokyo.
Britain’s darling Ennis wins heptathlon gold
London: Jessica Ennis, the darling of British athletics and poster girl for the London Games, lived up to the sky-high expectations of a demanding public to claim gold in the women’s heptathlon yesterday.
Three personal bests in the seven disciplines that make up the gruelling two-day event helped Ennis to a winning total of 6,955 points in a dominant display that thrilled the sell-out 80,000 crowd at the Olympic Stadium.
Russian world champion Tatyana Chernova claimed silver with 6,628 points, with Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Yosypenko taking bronze in a personal best of 6,618.
It was an especially sweet triumph for Ennis because she missed out on the Beijing Olympics through injury.
“I am so shocked I can’t believe it,” a teary-eyed Ennis said. “After the javelin I didn’t let myself believe it. After all the hard work and disappointment of Beijing, everyone has supported me so much. They said ‘go for another four years’, and I’ve done that. I’m going to savour the moment. I’ve had great support although I’ve been under a huge amount of pressure.”
Ennis set personal bests in the 100m hurdles (12.54sec) and 200m (22.83sec) on Friday for 4,158 points, an overnight lead of 184 points on Lithuanian Austra Skujyte.
Rutherford ends silver agony on biggest stage
London: Briton Greg Rutherford won the men’s Olympic long jump title here on Saturday to finally win gold after twice taking silver in other championship finals.
The 25-year-old won with a best jump of 8.31m while Australian Mitchell Watt took silver in 8.16m and Will Claye of the US won the bronze with 8.12m.
It was the shortest winning jump since another Briton, Lynn Davies, won gold in the 1964 Tokyo Games with a leap of 8.07 metres. “I knew I was in great shape,” said Rutherford. “I have probably one of the best teams in the world. They are incredible.”