An “emotionally and physically drained” Mo Farah took a 6am flight back to the United States after withdrawing from the Birmingham Grand Prixon Sunday but his exit angered British fans and left the double Olympic champion out of pocket.
Farah intends to speak to his coach, Alberto Salazar, in the next day or so about the serious doping allegations made by Panorama. It is understood Salazar will make a detailed response by the end of the week to the charges that he doped some of his athletes, including Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp.
In a statement Farah said he had taken the decision because he did not think he would be able to perform at his best in the 1500m, which was scheduled as the final event of the day.
“This week has been very stressful and taken a lot out of me,” he said. “I have not been able to focus properly on today’s race and after the events of the last few days feel emotionally and physically drained. I want to run well in the World Athletics Championships in Beijing and have decided it is better for me to go back to the US, seek answers to my questions and get back into training.”
Sebastian Coe, who is in the running to be the next president of the International Association of Athletics Federations, warned people not to jump to conclusions about Salazar’s conduct.
“Don’t run away with the idea that this is a hole-in-the-wall, circa 1970s Eastern-bloc operation,” Coe said. “It’s not. Mo’s training was completely chaotic before Alberto took over. Alberto hasn’t got him to run much faster, what he has done is made him stronger physically and mentally. If there are questions then clearly Mo is going to ask those questions.”
Asked if Farah, the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion, should suspend his relationship pending further investigation, Coe, also a double Olympic champion, said: “That’s for Mo to decide. The relationship between an athlete and a coach can only be based on unflinching trust. Mo will be making judgments about that now. I’m sure he and Alberto will sit down.”
Farah is able to command at least £50,000 when he runs in Diamond League races and was due to be the highest-paid athlete in Birmingham, but his no-show meant no fee. His decision not to compete was taken on Saturday evening after a 30-minute appearance in front of the world’s media during which he insisted he is a “100% clean athlete”.
It is understood Farah underwent three days of media training to prepare to face the press and the consensus was that he looked passionate and polished. But underneath it all there were flashes of annoyance, with Farah saying he was angry to be linked with any wrongdoing when there is no suggestion he has ever cheated.
Soon afterwards he decided he would not race on Sunday. It is understood British Athletics, the representatives from the event sponsor, Sainsbury’s, and his team spent three hours trying to change his mind, but to no avail. In his statement Farah apologised to fans for not showing up and asked for their understanding, but there did not seem to be a great deal of it at the Alexander Stadium. His late decision to withdraw from the 1500m left many of the 9,000 crowd – about 4,000 short of capacity – bitterly frustrated.
One Farah supporter, Ian Briggs from Market Harborough, said: “We got grandstand tickets which were £50 each because Mo was competing. I thought it would’ve been better for him to be here to compete and show his face rather than run back to America and sort it out with his coach. I’m not sure how that makes it look. He would have got a lot of support if he’d showed up.”
Another fan, Sarah Mackness, said: “We’re gutted that Mo pulled out at the last minute. He should have done it yesterday and not left it so late. He’s left so many people disappointed.
“I’ve had tickets to see him three times now and he keeps pulling out – there was the Commonwealth Games last year that we bought tickets to much in advance, and another Diamond League meeting a couple of years ago. It’s really frustrating.”
