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Mo Farah

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The British long distance runner says "Train hard, win easy."

Raise Your Game: What does it take to get to the top?

Profile

Name:
Mo Farah

Date of Birth:
23 March 1983

Born:
Mogadishu, Somalia

Event:
Long distance runner

Achievements:

  • Gold - 5000m, European Championships, Barcelona (2010)
  • Gold - 10,000m, European Championships, Barcelona (2010)
  • New GB record,10km, Bupa London road race (2010)
  • Gold - 5000m, European Team Championships, Leiria (2009)
  • Gold - 3000m, European Indoor Championships, Torino (2009)
  • Seventh - 5000m - IAAF World Championships, Berlin (2009)
  • New GB record, 10km, 27 mins 40 secs, Bupa London road race (2009)
  • New GB record, 3000m, 7 mins 34.47 secs, Aviva UK Indoor Grand Prix, Birmingham (2009)
  • New GB record, 3000m, 7 mins 40.99 secs, Aviva International, Glasgow (2009)
  • Gold - European Cup, Annecy (2008)
  • Gold - European cross-country Championships, Gothenburg (2006)

Mo Farah: I work hard for what I get. I'm lucky to have a lot of good people in my life. I train with a lot of the Kenyan guys. I enjoy it 100%. If I didn't enjoy it, then I wouldn't be running for a living.

RYG: Where does your positive attitude come from?

MF: I enjoy what I do. I love the sport and I love working hard. When you work so hard for something, and you achieve what you set out to, it's really exciting.

RYG: How dedicated do you have to be to compete at an elite level?

MF: It's a lot of hard work. You need to have talent, but talent can only get you so far. You have to be willing to work hard. Training and competition are hard, so you have to be willing to do that. The Kenyans have a saying 'Train hard, win easy.' Sometimes things don't go well and you have to deal with that.

RYG: Is it tough training with the Kenyan runners?

MF: When you're training at 7,000 feet, and they're beating you by a few seconds, and working you hard, it can get really tough. At the same time it's worth it.

RYG: How important is attitude in a sport like athletics?

MF: Attitude is massive. You can have talent, but if you don't have the right attitude, nobody's going to take you on. You have to apply yourself in the right manner. At the same time you need to enjoy it.


'I can't do it,' is not acceptable. You can do anything you want to.

David Kirsch

Personal trainer to the stars.

Training ground

Colin Jackson

Work hard

Colin Jackson reveals more top tips on making exercise part of your lifestyle.

Media zone

Pierre Dulaine

Video clips

Check out the video with the famous dance instructor Pierre Dulaine.

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