British distance running legend Sir Mo Farah was gearing up for the 2017 IAAF World Championships, in which he is widely expected to take gold.
Farah, originally from Somalia, has dominated the 10,000 meter race in the last six years, and only narrowly lost the title to Ethiopian runner Ibrahim Jeilan in the 2011 IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, reports Efe.
His "double-double" (5,000 and 10,000 meters) in the world championship in Moscow 2013 and Beijing 2015, as well as defending his Olympic titles in both disciplines in Rio 2016, should have been enough for Farah to leave his indelible mark on the sport, if it were not for the controversy cast over him by the accusations surrounding the training methods of his coach, Alberto Salazar.
The relationship between the runner and trainer deteriorated after Salazar was investigated by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for his role setting up the so-called Oregon Project, in which athletes are trained in reduced oxygen environments in an attempt to increase their sporting abilities.
In 2015, Russian hackers leaked documents that alleged Farah had been suspended for doping, although this was challenged by a later report.
Heading into the 2017 IAAF World Championships starting on Friday, the gold medal is Farah's to lose.
If he lives up to the expectation, Farah will accomplish an unprecedented ten straight titles at the major athletics events; the Olympics, the World Championships and European Championships.
The biggest challenge for Farah is expected to come from Ethiopians Abadi Hadis and Jemal Yimer who lead the world rankings with times of 27:08.26 and 27:09.08 respectively.
However all the tactics employed by his rivals against Farah up until now have yet to succeed; many struggle to get the better of him when he goes in for the attack.
--IANS
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