London Marathon 2023: Sir Mo Farah finishes his final London Marathon and says when his last ever race will be
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Olympic hero gold medallist Sir Mo Farah has finished his final London Marathon and said ‘part of him wanted to cry’. The elite athlete also said his last ever event will be the Great North Run later this year.
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Hide AdCrowds cheered the Olympian throughout the race, as Sunday’s event was his first full marathon since 2019 - and his last full marathon of his career. A hip injury prevented him from taking place in last year’s event.
Speaking to the BBC, Sir Mo said: “London has been so great to me over the years and I wanted to be here to say thank you to the crowd and the support that was just amazing.
“Training went well, and I was confident and I thought I could do between 2:05 and 2:07 but you never know with the marathon. I gave it my all but my body just wasn’t responding and that’s when you know when it’s time to call it a day. Part of me was wanting to cry.
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Hide Ad“The people were amazing, even in the rain to line the streets and that’s what this is all about. It’s what has kept me going for so long throughout my career. I will miss that feeling, I am emotional today.”
He added: “I started here at the mini marathon and to finish here is just incredible. If somebody had said to that kid running the mini marathon that I’ll be Olympic champion, he would never have believed it. The sport needs this, we need to give back to the young athletes and teach them what is possible with hard work.
“I want to pass that on. The Great North Run is going to be my last ever run and that will be my goodbye. My career has been amazing, my wife and kids have been with me throughout this journey and I want to give time to them now, as well as getting involved in grassroots sport and give back to this sport.”
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Hide AdSir Mo finished ninth in the Men’s Elite race, coming over the finish line in two hours, 10 minutes and 28 seconds. He was among four fellow Brits in the top ten - Emile Cairess, Phil Sesemann and Chris Thompson.
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