Mo Farah robbed of luxury Tag Heuer watch and £2,500 cash from travel bag at hotel during altitude training camp for London Marathon
SIR Mo Farah was robbed in Ethiopia on his 36th birthday with thieves stealing an expensive watch bought by his wife Tania.
The Olympic hero has revealed he had two phones, a Tag Heuer and more than £2,500 in cash nicked when his travel bag was ransacked during an altitude training camp.
Britain’s greatest runner says the theft took place on March 23 at Yaya Africa Athletics Village Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Farah said: “On my birthday I went for a Sunday run early morning. We left at 5.30am and I gave my key to reception so they could clean – I’d been doing that all the time.
“I came back about 4.30pm and got the key from reception. I went into my room, laid on the bed because I was a bit tired.
“Then I noticed my bag was open. I was like: ‘S***, I left my bag open.’ It was all messed up. It was locked but it had been broken into.
“Someone’s got the key from reception, opened it up, and they had taken 20,000 Ethiopian birr (£534), $1,500 (£1,159), £800, 100 Euro (£86) and two phones.
IRREPLACEABLE
“It’s a Tag watch my wife bought me as a present for our anniversary. It was sentimental – it can’t be replaced.
“The hotel weren’t going to do anything so I called the police. They came over, took stuff, went away. They said they arrested five guys but they got released again.”
Farah immediately moved out of the hotel – which he claims is owned by Olympic legend Haile Gebrselassie – because he “didn’t feel comfortable”.
Sir Mo said he texted the Ethiopian runner, 46, asking him to intervene but has heard nothing.
SunSport has tried to contact Gebrselassie’s agent and the hotel for a response.
Farah said: “Haile didn’t respond to me even though that’s his hotel.
“One of the guys from the hotel called him because I said I wanted to speak to him and he said: ‘OK, we’re working on it, Mo.’
“We got two lawyers to look into it. I don’t care about the money, just get my watch.”
Farah is in the capital preparing to take on Kenya’s world-record holder Eliud Kipchoge on Sunday at the London Marathon.