Mo Farah withdraws from Commonwealth Games in Glasgow

Mo Farah is the latest big name to pull out of the Commonwealth Games

Double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah has withdrawn from the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after failing to recover from a recent illness.

Farah, 31, won the 5,000m and 10,000m at London 2012 and was set to run both distances in Scotland.

However, he has decided to stay at his training camp to be fit for August's European Championships in Zurich.

The Team England athlete said it was a "tough decision", adding: "The sickness I had two weeks ago was a big setback."

He added: "Training is getting better but I need another few weeks to get back to the level I was at in 2012 and 2013.

"I really wanted to add the Commonwealth titles to my Olympic and World Championships, but the event is coming a few weeks too soon for me.

"My body is telling me it's not ready to race yet."

Farah's decision is another setback to the Games after a number of key withdrawals in athletics events.

Jamaican Yohan Blake, Olympic silver medallist at London 2012 in the 100m and 200m, was ruled out because he needed a hamstring operation and England's Katarina Johnson-Thompson withdrew from the women's heptathlon on Monday with a foot injury.

In March, Mo Farah collapsed after completing the New York City Half Marathon

Farah had missed the Diamond League meeting in Glasgow earlier this month because of illness but had been confident of appearing, saying that "training was going good".

Team England Chef de Mission Jan Paterson said: "It is a real blow for any athlete to miss out on a major championships through injury, but to have fought so hard to regain full fitness and to have to take such a difficult decision is particularly hard."

BBC Sport athletics pundit Steve Cram said: "It's hugely disappointing for Mo and the event.

"We knew he had been struggling. He's just run out of time to be in shape and I was really hoping he would have run the 10,000m at least.

"Running the marathon earlier in the year has upset his normal pattern and had an impact on his summer."

Cram, who twice claimed Commonwealth Games 1500m gold and won the 800m in Edinburgh in 1986, believes Farah would have only raced in Scotland if he were 100% fit.

"He knows how hard the 5,000m and 10,000m are going to be here, so he didn't want to put himself at risk of not winning," added Cram.

"It's not like the Europeans, where the competition is not particularly strong. He would not have wanted to come here and not be at his best, but he'll be a big miss."

Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg also admitted Farah's absence was a blow.

He said: "There's no question we're disappointed that Mo Farah announced he would be withdrawing. We're very disappointed for Mo. We knew how much he wanted to be here.

"I'm sure there will be some disappointed people, but there are plenty of great athletes who are here and will be competing."