Mo Farah

Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah (born Hussein Abdi Kahin; 23 March 1983) is a Somali-born British retired long-distance runner.

Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, his ten global championship gold medals (four Olympic and six World titles) make him the most successful male track distance runner ever, and he is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history.

Farah is the first ever global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM - UN Migration Agency) as announced on 28 November 2023 at the 114th Session of the IOM Council.

Hussein Abdi Kahin (Xuseen Cabdi Kaahin) was born on 23 March 1983 in Somalia.

His father died in the Isaaq Genocide when he was aged four, and he then became separated from his mother.

He spent a few years in Mogadishu as a child.

At the age of nine he was illegally trafficked to the United Kingdom via Djibouti, when he was given the name Mohammed Farah and was forced to work as a domestic servant.

He was flown from the country by a woman he had never met, and made to look after another family's children.

He represented Hounslow at cross-country in the 1994 London Youth Games as an under-13.

In 1996, at the age of 13, he entered the English schools cross-country championships and finished ninth.

The following year he won the first of five English school titles.

Recognising his talent, athletics philanthropist Eddie Kulukundis paid the legal fees to complete Farah's naturalisation as a British citizen, allowing him to travel to competitions without visa issues.

Farah's first major title was in the 5000 metres at the 2001 European Athletics Junior Championships, the same year that he began training at St Mary's University, Twickenham.

That year, Farah became one of the first two athletes in the newly formed Endurance Performance Centre at St Mary's. He lived and trained at the college, and took some modules in an access course before becoming a full-time athlete as his career progressed.

He obtained British citizenship in July 2000 under the name Mohamed Farah.

These aspects of his background were not made public until July 2022, and a barrister told him that there was a risk that he might lose his British nationality as it was obtained by misrepresentations; the Home Office, however, assured him that he would not face any repercussions.

For the first years he was in Britain, he was not allowed to go to school, but when he was 11 or 12 he began to attend Year 7 at Feltham Community College, where staff were told he was a refugee from Somalia.

His athletic talent was first identified by physical education teacher Alan Watkinson.

Farah's ambition was to become a car mechanic or play as a right winger for Arsenal football club.

Farah joined the Borough of Hounslow Athletics Club in west London.

He ran for Newham and Essex Beagles athletics club, training at St Mary's University College, Twickenham from 2001 to 2011.

Farah is the European record holder for the 10,000 m, and two miles, the British record holder for the 5,000 m, the British indoor record holder for the 3,000 m and the current world record holder for the one hour run and indoor world record holder for the two miles.

Farah was the first British athlete to win two gold medals at the same world championships.

His five gold medals at the European Athletics Championships make him the most successful athlete in individual events in the championships' history.

He has won the European Athlete of the Year award and the British Athletics Writers Association British Athlete of the Year award more than any other athlete, three times and six times respectively.

After finishing second in the 10,000 metres at the 2011 World Championships, Farah had an unbroken streak of ten global final wins (the 5,000m in 2011, the double in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and the 10,000m in 2017).

Farah is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m. He is the second athlete, after Lasse Virén, to win both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m titles at successive Olympic Games.

He also completed the 'distance double' at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships in Athletics.

He was the first man to defend both distance titles in both major global competitions; a feat described as the 'quadruple-double'.

Farah was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to athletics.

Farah was the winner of Taskmaster’s New Year Treat 2023, beating Amelia Dimoldenberg, Greg James, Rebecca Lucy Taylor and Carol Vorderman.

The streak ended in Farah's final championship track race, when he finished second to Ethiopia's Muktar Edris in the 2017 5,000 metres final.

On the track, Farah mostly competed over 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, but has run competitively from 1,500 metres to the marathon.

In 2017, he indicated his intention to switch wholly to road racing following victory at his final track race, the 2017 IAAF Diamond League 5,000 metres final.

In 2017, Farah won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

He won the 2018 Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:05:11, a European record.

His running style has been described as bouncy and tactical, which he has attempted to alter for a more efficient and energy-saving stride pattern, especially in the longer distances.

Farah runs distance races tactically, a style which is aided by his quick sprint finish.

Born in present-day Somalia, the then Hussein Abdi Kahin was trafficked from Djibouti to London under the name of another child, Mohamed Farah, at the age of nine where he was forced into child labour.

He adopted the name as his own thereafter, becoming a British citizen.