Saturday August 13, 2016
By Emmett Knowlton
Great Britain middle-distance star Mo Farah defended his 10,000-meter Olympic gold medal on Saturday night from Rio, pulling away on the final lap to win gold in convincing fashion.Perhaps most impressively of all, Farah’s foot was clipped in the early stages of the race, sending him tumbling to the track. But Farah remained unfazed, quickly righted himself and picked up where he left off.Here’s where he fell:
And here’s how quickly he gets back up:
Within three laps he was back in striking distance, completely under control:
In the final laps, Farah and four others had distanced themselves from the rest of the field. London silver medalist Galen Rupp, an American who trains with Farah, was among the leaders, but was dropped by Farah, a Kenyan, and two Ethiopians after the bell sounded. Rupp ran an impressive race, but lacked the speed down the stretch. He will be disappointed to finish fifth, but has the marathon to look forward to.
Farah, meanwhile, showed impressive closing speed in the final lap, pulling away on the final turn and having enough space to celebrate with arms outstretched before crossing the line.
With the gold medal, Farah adds another gold to his historic career. He will look to defend his 5,000-meter gold medal later this week.