Mo Farah relishes 'sweetest' victory at World Athletics 2013

Mo Farah said his 5,000m victory was his sweetest yet as he completed a dream 'double-double' at the World Championships in Moscow.

The Briton, 30, sealed a thrilling gold six days after winning the 10,000m.

The double Olympic champion became only the second man after Kenenisa Bekele to win both long-distance crowns at the Olympics and the World Championships.

"It was definitely the sweetest, by far," said Farah, who revealed he overcame a stitch during the race.

"I had a stitch from about eight laps to go and I was kind of pushing my stomach in, but then the pace slowed down and I tried to forget about it and come through," he added.

"My legs felt all right, but they were a lot more heavy than the rest of the guys."

Farah broke the European 1500m record last month and was confident he could out-kick his rivals.

BBC commentators on Farah

Steve Cram: "That was another incredible performance. His fifth global title - that's a fistful of gold. That was hard, really, really hard. It's not getting any easier, but it's just as sweet and just as brilliant. We are in special times with this special athlete."

Brendan Foster: "For my money he is the greatest athlete we've ever had in this country. He put himself at the front and he would not let them past. We are enjoying great times in distance running. Now we have a man who's inspiring the next generation of runners."

Paula Radcliffe: "The other athletes played right into Mo's hands and that's a measure of his intimidation factor. No-one went out to really test him and he was getting more and more confident. Once he got into the front there was no chance they were coming past him. He was so calm and I am in awe of the way he dominated that race."

"I thought the race would have gone harder, but it suited me," he said.

"I was confident, from having run a fast 1500m and a couple of other fast races, that if it came down to the end I would be able to come home strong.



But Farah produced a stirring finish to cross the line in 13 minutes and 26.98 seconds, just 0.28 seconds ahead of Ethiopia's Hagos Gebrhiwet, with Kenya's Isaiah Kiplangat Koech taking the bronze.

After a typically rapid final lap, timed at 53.51, he dropped to his knees and kissed the blue track before embracing coach Alberto Salazar.




He received his gold medal from Sebastian Coe, who won his first Olympic title in the same stadium.



