An untimely fall over 10,000m and the best that Ethiopia could throw at him over 5,000m could not stop Mo Farah making history in Rio as he completed the 'double double'.
The youngster who had grown up dreaming of playing for Arsenal rather than dominating on an athletics track cemented his place as Team GB’s most decorated athlete in the home of football.
Farah arrived in Brazil as a double Olympic gold medallist from London 2012, the third act of Super Saturday’s 44-minute golden blitz.
And somehow, he pulled off an equally impressive encore to become the first man since Lasse Viren in the 1970s, and second ever, to complete the distance double on the track.
In a remarkable parallel, he won the longer of the two events after a fall, just as Viren had done in 1972. Getting tangled up with training partner Galen Rupp, Farah hit the deck, but quickly bounced back up, flashed a thumbs up to the American and got back into the pack.
Even when Kenya’s Paul Tanui moved past him on the final lap, Farah knew that his sprint finish was his greatest weapon.
No one had an answer to it, and showing no after-effects of the fall, he raced clear to claim Olympic gold number three. In doing so, he joined a very select group of men to have successfully defended the Olympic 10,000m crown, Viren, of course, the great Emil Zatopek and the Ethiopian legends Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele.
A week later, he was back on the track looking to emulate Viren’s even greater achievement.
The Ethiopians had other ideas, trying to counter Farah’s flying finish by taking the race out hard.
Dejen Gebremeskel, second to Farah over 5,000m in London, and Hagos Gebrhiwet, who won silver behind the Brit at the World Championships over the distance a year later, both went straight to the front to push the pace.
Farah did not blink, settling into the middle of the pack to keep an eye on proceedings before hitting the front with four and a half laps remaining.
Even with the pace ramped up, he still had enough energy to hold off the field on the final lap. America’s Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo was seemingly in perfect position to overhaul him only to be reminded of Farah’s closing speed.
The tactics used by the Ethiopians made perfect sense but as ever, Farah had the answer, winning Team GB’s 65th medal of the Games in the process, the exact number won in London four years earlier.
That in itself was historic, the first host nation to match (and later increase) their medal haul four years later, and it was a result of a determination within Farah to ensure he simply would not be beaten.
He explained: “I was surprised by the first lap, I thought it was going to be a slow race. They had a plan, they wanted to take the sting out of me but when I hit the front, I wasn't letting anyone past me.
“I hate to lose. Even in PE I hated losing. I have that drive, it is just me. I can't quite believe it. I wished for just one medal as a junior. It has been a long journey but if you dream of something, have ambitions and are willing to work hard then you can get your dreams.”
It was to be Farah’s final Olympic moment, a year before his last major track appearance at the World Championships back at the London Stadium when he won a gold and a silver.
His official retirement from all running came in 2023, Farah bowing out as the most successful male track distance runner in the history of the sport and Team GB’s most decorated track athlete.
A decade on, his double success in Rio remains one of the enduring images of those magical Games in Brazil.
Sportsbeat 2026