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Farah completes ‘double double’ with 5000m Gold

Britwatch Team
Athletics

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By Nilesh Patel

  • Farah claims his second gold at Rio 2016
  • GB scrape bronze in women’s 4x400m relay
  • The wins take Rio 2016’s medal tally to 66, 27 being gold.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Mo Farah‘s second gold helps Team GB win two medals on the last day on the track, helping beat London 2012’s medal haul.

 

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Farah won his fourth Olympic gold as he creates history by winning the 5,000m. The 33-year-old becomes the second man to retain the 5,000m and 10,000m titles, to become the nation’s most successful Olympic track and field athlete of all time. After cementing himself as one of Britain’s greatest athletes with his two golds four years ago, repeating the feat makes him the most successful distance runner with regards to major medals.

Farah won the race in 13:03.30s as fellow Brit Andrew Butchart finished sixth with a more than spectacular effort in his first Olympic games. Farah’s win was Britain’s 27th gold in Rio and their 65th medal overall; matching the tally from London 2012.

The medal haul of four years ago was then surpassed when the women’s 4×400 relay team took bronze in the penultimate track event of Rio 2016.

Eilidh Doyle, Anyika Onuora, Emily Diamond and Christine Ohuruogu finished third, to win the first medal in the event since 1992, just behind the USA and Jamaican relay teams.

Doyle and Onuora got the relay off to a strong start but it was Diamond’s pace in the third leg that pushed Britain into medal contention. Ohuruogu held the position knowing it would be her last time competing at an Olympic games.

After guiding the team to bronze she ends her career on a high, becoming only the second track and field athlete to win a medal at three consecutive Olympics. This was her first relay triumph after winning individual gold and silvers in Beijing and London.

The women’s 800m also concluded last night as Lynsey Sharp finished sixth, just 3 seconds off finishing on the podium, with South Africa’s Caster Semenya – a world best time for this season and a personal best for her.

However, the day ended with the women’s high jump, where British jumper – Morgan Lake – finished joint tenth, while Spaniard: Ruth Beitia won gold.

The Rio 2016 athletics programme concludes today at 13:30pm BST with the men’s marathon.