Upate from London: Mo Farah does it again, wins fifth 10K title

After finishing in second place at this distance at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, the Brit has won every long distance title at the major championships (including in the 5,000 meters) and has been virtually unbeatable, though there are some other medal contenders. Karoki, a silver medallist at the 2015 World Cross Country Championships, expressed optimism that they are going to produce a performance and hope that they deliver the title.

The 100m preliminary rounds go down at 9pm Kenyan time.

He therefore wins the first medal for the track event and Britain first gold at the 2017 World Athletics Championship.

At some point, halfway through the race, Farah admitted he was clinging on.

Having seen the legendary Jamaican Usain Bolt ease through his 100 metres heat only minutes earlier, Farah was seen urging his home crowd to raise the decibel levels at the start line and also at times during his 25 laps of the track.

Farah did the double at the previous two world championships and at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics and few would bet against him saluting again in the 5000m final on August 12, his final hitout at a global championships.

No normal athlete – in the original meaning of that word – wins three World 10,000m titles in succession, another footnote being his last 1km split of 2:28.82.

Karoki finished seventh while Kamworor wound up 11th on that occasion.

An assortment of foe tried to derail Farah’s glory bid.

But Farah, unbeaten over 10,000m since 2011, remained on course to claim a 5,000m and 10,000m double for a third time and now has 10 global titles.

Silver medalist Cheptegei, just 20, clocked a lifetime best 26:49.94, chasing Farah all the way to the line, and Tanui 26:50.60.

Gesturing to the crowd to get going, and despite settling on the outside around the middle of the back, he settled towards the rear of the pack as the Kenyans and Ugandans took the race by the scruff of the neck. I work on everything and it’s been a long journey. The guys gave it to me – it was about, ‘How do we beat Mo?’

“I didn’t get to run as smooth as I wanted, so I can’t really say”, he said. “I had to push myself a little to get back in the race”.

These media sessions offer fantastic opportunities for journalists to appraise themselves on the athletes’ form and preparations, while also offering the national athletics federations a platform to update the world on their track and field programmes.

However he is facing a crop of young pretenders with Ethiopian teenager Abadi Hadis the fastest this year over 10,000m and 23-year-old compatriot Muktar Edris leading the 5,000m time charts.

Jenn Suhr no-heighted in the pole vault at the stadium where she won Olympic gold in 2012.

Christian Coleman, the fastest man of the season so far, won the first heat in 10.01. Nicole Sifuentes of Winnipeg (4:05.24) was eighth in her heat and also advanced.

Chepng’etich reckons that she will be under pressure to deliver considering that she is the fresh one from winning gold in Rio compared to Dibaba and Hassan.

“Championship races are quite tactical but I have trained well and I have the experience”.