Mo Farah bids farewell to London Marathon with ninth-place finish

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Monday April 24, 2023

Mo Farah found it tough in the marathon CREDIT: AP/Alberto Pezzali

London (HOL) - British long-distance running legend Sir Mo Farah concluded his London Marathon career with a ninth-place finish in the elite men's race. Farah, who transitioned to full-time marathon running in 2018, has had an illustrious career, including winning the inaugural London Big Half Marathon and setting a new European record at the Chicago Marathon the same year.

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The four-time Olympic gold medallist completed the course in 2:10:28, falling short of his personal best of 2:05:11. Farah received enthusiastic support from the crowd as he fought to chase down the leaders in his final marathon. After crossing the finish line, an emotional Farah told the reporters, "The crowds, the support, it was amazing. I gave it my all. It's quite emotional."

Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum, 23, won the men's elite event in the second-fastest marathon in history, crossing the finish line in two hours, one minute, and 25 seconds. Kiptum's incredible performance broke the London Marathon course record but fell just 16 seconds shy of countrymate Eliud Kipchoge's world record set in Berlin the previous year. The exhausted athlete collapsed on the ground after completing the race.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian-born Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan emerged as the surprise winner of the women's elite race in her debut marathon. The 5,000 and 10,000 meters Olympic champion reeled in the leaders with three miles to go and finished with a time of 2:18:33. Hassan's victory was even more impressive considering the difficulties she faced during the race, including nearly dropping out due to pain around the 15-mile mark and narrowly avoiding a collision with a support motorbike while collecting a drink.

Farah announced that his final race would be the Great North Run in September, having previously declared in January that 2023 would be his last year in athletics. He withdrew from the 2022 London Marathon due to a hip injury. Farah won his first two Olympic golds in London at the 2012 Games and successfully defended his 5,000m and 10,000m titles in Rio four years later. However, recent years have been challenging for the long-distance runner, with a failure to qualify for the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021 followed by injury troubles.

Reflecting on his journey, Farah said, "I just want to thank everyone who's been part of my journey and the people who came out here today, giving me massive support. Uh, it didn't matter it was raining, or people were still out there in the street packed, and that's what kept me going."

Emile Cairess of Yorkshire was the first British man home in the London event, finishing sixth in his marathon debut. Swiss star Marcel Hug won a fifth men's wheelchair race in London, just six days after winning the Boston Marathon, while Australian Madison de Rozario claimed victory in the women's wheelchair race, narrowly beating four-time champion Manuela Schar at the finish line. This year's marathon saw a record 49,675 runners register, and the event returned to its usual April timing after three years of October races due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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