Sir Mo Farah travelled to Eugene with one thing and one thing only on his mind ahead of this summer’s final hurrah: to show the rest of the field he is more than ready for the challenge.
Now, leaving with 5,000m Diamond League top spot and the best outdoor time of the year from his trip to Oregon, he has certainly let his running do the talking.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist plans to retire after this summer’s home World Athletics Championships in London, with this final track run in America undoubtedly a welcome boost to his preparation.
Leading at the bell in the Prefontaine Classic, Farah once again showed the form that has seen him take 5,000m and 10,000m gold at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, kicking on as opposed to slowing down in the closing stages.
That saw him stop the clock in a time of 13:00.70 minutes, pulling away from a strong field in which Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha took second in 13:01.21, while Geoffrey Kamworor rounded off the top three.
The 34-year-old also had British company in the top ten in Andrew Butchart, finishing eighth, with the ‘double-double’ winner and Britain's most successful track and field athlete delighted with the marker he laid down in his second outdoor competition of the season.
🔥 We've seen it before....the killer closing speed from @Mo_Farah sees him push on in a thrilling finale for the win in 13:00.89! 🔥
— British Athletics (@BritAthletics) May 27, 2017
"For me it wasn't about time. It was just a matter of telling the boys 'Look, I'm ready'," he said.
"A lot of the boys talk a lot. A lot of guys saying 'I'm going to do this or that.' But I don't like to do that. I just want my running to do the talking and get on with it.
"I've got a target on my back, I've been on the top of my game for the last five years and everyone wants to beat me.
"It's hard trying to maintain it year after year. But I know what I have to do - eat, sleep and train properly. That's what it takes if you want to win medals."
That was not Britain’s only podium display in Oregon, as Laura Muir took third in the 1500m to build on a season which has already seen her crowned double European indoor champion.
Muir finished in a time of 4:00.47, less than a second behind winner Faith Kipyegon with just a couple of months until her expected shot at a third World Championships.
Fellow Brit Chris O’Hare finished second in the invitational mile, a race which saw 16-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway become the youngest sub-four minute mile runner.
And there was also a strong display from CJ Ujah in the United States, finishing ahead of Olympic silver and bronze medallists Justin Gatlin and Andre De Grasse to finish third in the 100m, in a wind-assisted time of 9.95s.
Sir Mo Farah travelled to Eugene with one thing and one thing only on his mind ahead of this summer’s final hurrah: to show the rest of the field he is more than ready for the challenge.
Now, leaving with a 5000m Diamond League top spot and the best outdoor time of the year from his trip to Oregon, he has certainly let the running do the talking.
The four-time Olympic gold medallist plans to retire after this summer’s home World Athletics Championships in London, with this final track run in America undoubtedly a welcome boost to his preparation.
Leading at the bell in the Prefontaine Classic, Farah once again showed the form that has seen him take 5,000m and 10,000m gold at both London 2012 and Rio 2016 Games, kicking on as opposed to slowing down in the closing stages.
That saw him stop the clock in a time of 13:00.70 minutes, pulling away from a strong field in which Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha took second in 13:01.21, while Geoffrey Kamworor rounded off the top three.
The 34-year-old also had British company in the top ten in Andrew Butchart, finishing eighth, with the ‘double-double’ winner and Britain's most successful track and field athlete delighted with the marker he laid down in his second outdoor competition of the season.
Sportsbeat 2017