Mo Farah wins 5,000m and Laura Muir breaks record at British Grand Prix
- Published
Mo Farah took victory in the 5,000m at the Birmingham Grand Prix to win the final indoor race of his career.
The 33-year-old, who will retire from the track this year, set a European record of 13 minutes 9.16 seconds.
Laura Muir won the 1,000m in a British record of 2:31:93, taking over a second off Dame Kelly Holmes' 2004 mark.
Jamaica's 100m and 200m Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson stormed to victory in the women's 60m in 6.98 seconds, the eighth-fastest time ever.
Four-time Olympic champion Farah plans to focus on road racing after the World Championships in London in August.
He was pushed hard by Bahrain's Albert Rop, who held on as Farah kicked away from the majority of the field, but was defeated in a sprint finish.
"I had amazing support from the crowd today and I can't quite believe it's my last indoor race," said Farah.
"I've had a great career indoors and particularly on this track.
"I knew I needed to do some work after Edinburgh, I had to leave my family but hard work pays off."
Farah had finished seventh last month at the Great Edinburgh Cross Country.
Record-breaker Muir
Scotland's Muir has already broken two records this year - the European 3,000m indoor record and the British 5,000m indoor record, the latter held for 25 years by Liz McColgan.
The 23-year-old demolished the field in Birmingham and her time was just one second shy of Maria Mutola's world indoor record of 2:30.94.
Muir will head to Belgrade for the European Indoor Championships from 3-5 March as favourite in both the 1500m and 3,000m.
"I wanted to come away with a win on home soil but to break Kelly's record, I'm so chuffed, and I was not far away from the world record, so I am really pleased," said the Dundee Hawkhill Harrier.
"The crowd were huge, I couldn't hear myself breathing they were so loud.
"It is every athlete's dream to be injury free and running as well as I am. Hopefully I can carry this sort of form into the summer.
"I'm in the best shape I can be so I'm hoping to win some medals in Belgrade."
Laura Muir's record and achievements | |
---|---|
Records | Honours |
British 1500m (outdoor) | 2016 world number one (1500m) |
European 3,000m (indoor) | Seventh at 2016 Olympics (1500m) |
British 5,000m (indoor) | Three-time Diamond League race winner |
British 1,000m (indoor) |
Analysis
Paula Radcliffe, marathon world record holder
When you're in amazing shape as Laura is right now, and setting record after record, what you really want to do is capitalise on that and come away with two gold medals in Belgrade to underline that form; particularly when next year she'll be going back to her veterinary studies and will have to pick and choose with the calendar a little more.
She's got Belgrade not too far away now [in two weeks], the timetable works really well to double up there, it fits in perfectly and can be a real confidence boost going into the summer.
Brit watch
In Saturday's other events, Andrew Pozzi ran a personal best and world leading time of 7.43secs in the 60m hurdles to beat fellow Briton David King and Aries Merritt of the United States.
Great Britain took first and second place in the women's long jump, as Loraine Ugen jumped a season's best 6.76m ahead of Jazmin Sawyer's 6.71m.
In the women's 800m, British Champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke came third in a personal best time of 2:01:71 and secured automatic selection for the European Indoor Championships.
USA's Ronnie Baker won the men's 60m in 6.55 as 40-year-old Kim Collins took second place and Britain's Richard Kilty came third.
In the women's 400m, GB's Laviai Nielsen almost held off Czech Republic's Zuzana Hejnova, but the 20-year-old was beaten into second place in the final few metres.
Eilidh Doyle, who has already qualified for Belgrade, finished fourth, while Laviai's twin sister Lina Nielsen came fifth.
- Published17 February 2017
- Published17 February 2017
- Published17 February 2017
- Published16 February 2017
- Published12 February 2017
- Published11 February 2017