Mo Farah desperate for more London Stadium glory on the fifth anniversary of Super Saturday
Brit superstar will defend his 10,000m world title in the same stadium tonight before aiming for the double in the 5,000m next Saturday
MO FARAH has called on British fans to roar him to glory again tonight at the London Stadium.
Farah is chasing a third straight World Championship 10,000 metres title and wants a repeat of the 2012 Olympics.
He said: “You guys can make all the difference. The noise on Super Saturday in 2012 was immense. Now I need everyone to be just as loud.”
When Mo Farah thinks of London, it is not about Big Ben or meeting the Queen.
Instead it is about the London Stadium and winning two golds in 2012 in the city where he grew up.
Tonight marks the fifth anniversary of Super Saturday when, in the space of 44 glorious minutes, Farah, Jess Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford clinched three Olympic golds for Great Britain.
Farah powered his way to 10,000 metres victory before claiming the 5,000m title a week later.
Aptly he will defend his 10,000m world title in the same stadium tonight before aiming for the double in the 5,000m next Saturday.
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That will be his final championship race on a track before he steps up to the marathon event later this year.
He has never lost a race at the London Stadium having also had outings there at the Anniversary Games Diamond League meetings and is determined to keep that 100 per cent record.
Farah said: “The stadium is home. It’s where my life changed. It’s where I made my name. It’s where it went from normal to ‘I’m Mo’ overnight.
“When anyone asks, ‘What memories do you have of London?’ — it’s not about Big Ben or events like meeting the Queen, though they are obviously special.
“London is my home town. It’s where I grew up and where I met the love of my life Tania . . . my wife.
“But if I had to just pick out one great moment in London, it’s got to be London 2012. I still can’t find the words to describe how incredible it was.
“The roar of the home crowd was like nothing I’ve ever heard before — it was so loud. Winning double Olympic gold in my home town, it meant the world to me. I’ll never forget it!”
The 34-year-old admits he will have to fight back the emotions of signing off his championship track career.
He added: “It will be emotional. My family and so many of my friends will be in the stadium and I hope it will be an amazing few days.
“But you know, I can’t really think about all that too much. I just have to get my head down, focus on my plans, graft hard and give it my best performance.
“Hopefully that will be enough to win two more golds.”
The British star became only the second man in history after Lasse Viren in 1976 to retain two Olympic distance titles following his exploits at London 2012 and in Rio last summer.
He also has nine global titles in a row and at London 2017 will go for a total of 11 world titles. His exploits on the track earned him a knighthood in the New Year Honours list earlier this year.
Having arrived here from war-torn Somali as a kid he still has to pinch himself over his journey.
Farah admits: “It’s strange to think how far I have come since arriving in Britain as an eight-year old boy. I didn’t know anyone apart from my family when I arrived and couldn’t speak much English.
“To look back at where I’ve come from and see where I am now, it has been an amazing journey. There are moments when I have to pinch myself. Especially when I was awarded the knighthood.
“I’ve not had the official ceremony at Buckingham Palace yet — that will be later this year.
"But I did get to meet the Queen and Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace at the Young Leaders Awards recently so that helped me prepare!
“To think that she knows my name and what I do. And to be made a Knight, it’s incredible.”
But Farah insists he can still never be complacent. His rivals tonight include Kenyans Geoffrey Kamworor, who took world silver behind him two years ago, and Paul Tanui who won silver in Rio.
He added: “I can never be complacent. I can give it my all but races are always unpredictable — just look when I fell over in Rio last summer.
"I have to be on my guard but I have clear plans for how I want to run each race — what the threats are and how I can overcome them. That’s been my strategy for years and so far, it’s worked well.
“But in terms of pressure and fear of failure, nothing will ever compare to the pressure I put on myself going into London 2012, following on from my disappointing performance in Beijing four years earlier when I didn’t even make the 5,000m final.
“I felt like I had so much to prove to myself and to the nation.
“Since then, I’ve felt a different sort of pressure. I know I’m the one with a target on my back, the one who everyone’s trying to beat.
!And of course I feel real pressure to maintain my title, especially in front of the home crowd.
“I really don’t know how I’m going to feel after the 5,000m and ending my track career — relief or sadness.
“It’ll be emotional but I am trying not to think about that just now.
“My focus has been on the graft — training day after day and now executing my race plan on the night.
“All I know is it will be a massive test and all my focus is on winning double gold. I also know I’m raring to go. I’m ready.”