WHILE it will be taken for granted that fit-again Usain Bolt will lead Jamaica to gold in the sprint relay, Mo Farah, fellow athletics icon and doyen of London 2012, has been warned that he could face his most formidable challenge in years at the Commonwealth Games.
David Moorcroft, the former 5000 metres world record holder, believes two more gold medals over 5000m and 10,000m in Glasgow would crown an achievement that would never be repeated, but said: "I think it could be his two toughest races for many years [in Glasgow], but he's already a legend and that can never be taken away.
"If he was able to do the double at the Commonwealth Games, which is really hard because of the Kenyans and other Africans, in the four years between 2010 and 2014 he'll have done something that no other athlete's ever done and probably no other athlete will ever do in the future; that is to be double gold medallist at Commonwealth, European, world and Olympic [level].
"That is staggering, almost unbelievable and to do that within a four-year period when he's gone from being a really talented athlete to dominating the world is truly astonishing."
His preparation, hampered by injury, might leave the door open for his Kenyan rivals, but Farah is a master at triumphing against the odds. And, over the last couple of years, he has always had the measure of the opposition when it matters.
"I think if he's in decent condition then he'll find a way of winning," said Moorcroft, the director of sport at Join In, a London 2012 legacy initiative designed to get more people volunteering in community sport.
"If they've got any sense they'll smell a weakness. They'll know, if Mo's beatable, then Glasgow is where he can be beaten. You could say they've got an opportunity now because Mo's had this problem, but, having said that, they'll be looking across and thinking, 'Oh s**t he's there'. If, as the race unfolds, he looks strong and he looks positive, then gradually they'll be more and more worried about Mo."
Farah has five global and three European outdoor titles, but has yet to win a Commonwealth medal.
The 5000m is a straight final in Glasgow - at previous championships Farah has had to come through a heat - and will take place on Sunday evening, the opening day of the athletics programme. He then has five days to WHILE it will be taken for granted that fit-again Usain Bolt will lead Jamaica to gold in the sprint relay, Mo Farah, fellow athletics icon and doyen of London 2012, has been warned that he could face his most formidable challenge in years at the Commonwealth Games.
David Moorcroft, the former 5000 metres world record holder, believes two more gold medals over 5000m and 10,000m in Glasgow would crown an achievement that would never be repeated, but said: "I think it could be his two toughest races for many years [in Glasgow], but he's already a legend and that can never be taken away.
"If he was able to do the double at the Commonwealth Games, which is really hard because of the Kenyans and other Africans, in the four years between 2010 and 2014 he'll have done something that no other athlete's ever done and probably no other athlete will ever do in the future; that is to be double gold medallist at Commonwealth, European, world and Olympic [level].
"That is staggering, almost unbelievable and to do that within a four-year period when he's gone from being a really talented athlete to dominating the world is truly astonishing."
His preparation, hampered by injury, might leave the door open for his Kenyan rivals, but Farah is a master at triumphing against the odds. And, over the last couple of years, he has always had the measure of the opposition when it matters.
"I think if he's in decent condition then he'll find a way of winning," said Moorcroft, the director of sport at Join In, a London 2012 legacy initiative designed to get more people volunteering in community sport.
"If they've got any sense they'll smell a weakness. They'll know, if Mo's beatable, then Glasgow is where he can be beaten. You could say they've got an opportunity now because Mo's had this problem, but, having said that, they'll be looking across and thinking, 'Oh s**t he's there'. If, as the race unfolds, he looks strong and he looks positive, then gradually they'll be more and more worried about Mo."
Farah has five global and three European outdoor titles, but has yet to win a Commonwealth medal.
The 5000m is a straight final in Glasgow - at previous championships Farah has had to come through a heat - and will take place on Sunday evening, the opening day of the athletics programme. He then has five days to
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