Olympic champ Haile Gebrselassie challenges Mo Farah to race amid row

MO Farah has been challenged to a race by running great Haile Gebrselassie to settle their war of words.

The gauntlet was thrown down as it emerged Olympics star Sir Mo has sent a legal letter demanding compensation.

Yesterday, former Olympic and world champ Haile told the The Sun on Sunday: “I raced against Mo before and he finished a few places behind me. Maybe we should have another race to settle this. I’m still in pretty good shape and I would enjoy the challenge.”

The two athletics greats have fallen out after Sir Mo claimed he had £2,600, two phones and a watch stolen from his room in an Ethiopian hotel owned by Haile.

Haile responded by claiming the British champ had been obnoxious to staff and attacked husband and wife athletes Sisay Tsegaye and Dagmawit Kibiru.

As Sir Mo, 36, prepares to take part in today’s London Marathon, his rival showed the letter he was sent demanding £9,241 for the lost items.

On a visit to his Yaya Africa Athletes Village hotel at Addis Ababa, Haile, 46, said: “How can he do this? How can he say what he is saying?

“I have done so much for him and we have always been kind towards him when he has stayed with us. All Mo wants from me is money.

“I think he did all this on purpose to get himself into the media and he will use this as an excuse for his performance in the London Marathon.”

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