Olympic champion Mo Farah collapses at the end of the New York half marathon
Olympic hero Mo Farah collapsed today at the end of the New York half marathon.
The father-of-three, who won two golds at 2012 London Games, fell awkwardly around the six-mile mark but carried on and finished second.
But at the finish line he temporarily lost consciousness in the chilly conditions and had to be helped into a wheelchair.
Interviewed afterwards, Farah said: ‘I feel good. I just tried so hard in the race. It’s not a big deal.
‘When I fell, I fell pretty hard. I told myself “don’t rush” but when I saw the gap, the gap was big. Conditions here today were very cold. London won’t be as cold as this.
‘It would have been nice to win today, but he (Geoffrey Mutai) is a good athlete. Nothing changes for London – I will just keep training.’
Temperatures had been hovering just above freezing in Lower Manhattan when the race was held this morning.
Farah is due to return to Kenya on Tuesday for two more weeks of training under the tutelage of his coach, Alberto Salazar, before coming back to Britain ahead of his marathon debut.
The Somalian-born 30-year-old was strong enough to pass and hold off third-placed Stephen Sambu from Kenya in a sprint to finish behind winner Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya in 61mins 8secs.
Farah’s time of 61mins 8secs was just outside his British record of 60m 59s.
The 13.1-mile race was Farah’s first competitive outing since the Great North Run last September, but comes just four weeks before the Briton makes his much-anticipated full debut in the London Marathon on April 13.
