After UK Athletics rushed to organize a trial event at the British Championships later this month, Britain’s Mo Farah will have one last chance to qualify for the Olympics. After disappointingly needing 22 seconds over the qualifying threshold in Birmingham on 5th June, the four-time Olympic gold medalist has been compelled to scurry for a suitable 10,000m event.
As of now, Farah faces a June 27 deadline to meet the 27min 28sec threshold, or else he would risk losing his chance to defend his title in Tokyo. UKA has stepped in by holding an invitational 10,000m at the national championships in Manchester on June 25.
There will persist serious doubts about Farah’s ability to meet the qualifying time, especially after the 38-year-old mentioned an ankle problem as a reason for his failed attempt in Birmingham. After his initial failure, Farah maintained a combative demeanor. He said, “It is not going to be as easy as saying I can do it. It showed in Birmingham that I am not myself. It would be painful to miss out (on the Olympics) but at the same time I don’t want to just go and make a team or be number one in Britain, I want to go out there and challenge those guys (for gold). This will not be the end.”
When asked about his injury, he added, “I’ve been carrying a niggle since I got back from training. It is frustrating because I have done a lot of good work in Flagstaff, training has gone well. If you had asked me two weeks ago it would have been a lot different. It is what it is, it is part of sport. To be honest, this is the first bit I have done of track in the last two weeks. It is not ideal. I am four-time Olympic champion but that doesn’t mean anything. You’ve got to go out there each race and mix it with the best and give yourself a chance.”
