Golden double for Farah

The latest instalment of Mo Farah's story lasted 13 minutes 41.66 seconds last night. Every step of it constituted a march into history, every stride was met with a bellow from the stands. Farah, the Londoner who left Somalia as an eight-year-old, won the gold medal last night in the 5000 metres to add to the 10,000 metres he took in breathtaking fashion a week earlier.

He is now the undoubted Mr Saturday Night of Olympic 2012 entertainment. He is also one of the greatest distance runners in history.

The 29-year-old last night followed in the most illustrious of footsteps. Only six men had won both 5000m and 10,000m in the same Games: Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) in 2008, Miruts Yifter (Ethiopia) 1980, Lasse Viren (Finland) in 1972 and 1976, Vladimir Kuts (Soviet Union) in 1956, Emil Zatopek (Czechoslovakia) 1952, Hannes Kolehmainen (Finland) in 1912.

Farah added his name to that pantheon with a performance that showcased his pace and highlighted his tactical ability.

The race was dramatic but never likely to break records. This was about will, strength and belief. Farah kept his speed to the last mile which he covered in four minutes dead.

Fleet of foot, the double Olympic champion was also sharp of thought. The combined force of the field played into his hands with the slow pace never disturbing the 10,000 metre champion. He knew he had what it took to win a sprint. He was right and was rewarded in gold as he fought off the challenge by Dejen Gebreseskel of Ethiopia and Thomas Pkemei Longowsiwa of Kenya.

Farah's composure allowed him to switch off at the start of the race as if this was a Saturday night jog rather than a race into Olympic record books. He loped at the back of the field that was hardly stretched by Haile Ibrahimov.

This was a night when he was supported by the roars of more than 80,000 fans but Farah was alone on the track. He was the hunted as the other runners all tried to find a way to blunt his power, to deny his path into a select company.

The first strategy was to keep the pace slow. Farah was content with this. Then the Kenyans, Longosiwa in tandem with Isiah Koech, attempted to inject occasional pace in to the contest but, again, the British runner remained unfazed.

He briefly moved ahead with six laps to go but then slipped back to keep an eye on the very real threat from the Ethiopians. He moved on to the shoulders of the leaders with three laps to go and then prepared to make his move.

The noise by now was coming in waves, lapping at the edges of the track, in time with the passing of Farah. Inside the two final laps he made his move, just forcing himself clear of a pack that seemed to have him in his sights. With 600 metres to go, Gebreseskel seemed a danger, but so did others.

There was anxiety in the stands but not in Farah. The crowd bayed and their hero stayed on, his every step met by a clamour of support. Coming round the final bend, it was clear he would not be denied. The hunted Farah had escaped from his pursuers. He had survived, he had endured, he had succeeded.

In an homage to Usain Bolt, who had performed press-ups after winning the double of 100m and 200m, Farah immediately went into a set of sit-ups as a stadium shook with the noisy by-product of overwhelming passion.

His smile was wide as his smile he basked in a loud, emotional reception. All the pressure had been resisted, the burden of favouritism had been carried with ease and now a second gold medal was to be draped around his neck.

"It's unbelievable. Two gold medals, who would have thought that?" he said with his trademark grin.

"I didn't feel great in the heats," he said of his third-place finish to qualify for the final. He pointed out he now had a medal for his two girls who will be born to his wife Tania within the next two weeks.

Of his future, he said: "I don't know what's going on. I'm just taking it race at a time. I want to thank everyone who has supported me, all my coaches from the past, all the people who have been part of my life, particularly my wife. Her carrying twins, it hasn't been easy."

His victory was greeted with huge roars but this was also a session that included a breathtaking 800 metres race that also roused the crowd. It was won by Mariya Savinova of Russia in 1.56.19 from Caster Semenya of South Africa and Ekaterina Poistogova, also of Russia. the defending world champion took the race in the final straight after Pamsela Jelimo stretched the field in the final 300 metres.

The Kenyan's surge, though, saw her slip back through the field to just lose out on the bronze medal when moments before she was holding on in the gold medal position.

That fate was never likely to befall Farah. He took the initiative, he took the lead and he took the gold.

He stepped into the history books on a night of communal passion and personal brilliance. "It's been a long journey of grafting and grafting," said the double gold medallist.

It has ended, however, with Farah standing at the top of the mountain. He deserves the most spectacular of views.