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The British long distance runner says "Train hard, win easy."
Raise Your Game: What does it take to get to the top?
Profile
Name:
Mo Farah
Date of Birth:
23 March 1983
Born:
Mogadishu, Somalia
Event:
Long distance runner
Achievements:
- Gold - 5000m, European Championships, Barcelona (2010)
- Gold - 10,000m, European Championships, Barcelona (2010)
- New GB record,10km, Bupa London road race (2010)
- Gold - 5000m, European Team Championships, Leiria (2009)
- Gold - 3000m, European Indoor Championships, Torino (2009)
- Seventh - 5000m - IAAF World Championships, Berlin (2009)
- New GB record, 10km, 27 mins 40 secs, Bupa London road race (2009)
- New GB record, 3000m, 7 mins 34.47 secs, Aviva UK Indoor Grand Prix, Birmingham (2009)
- New GB record, 3000m, 7 mins 40.99 secs, Aviva International, Glasgow (2009)
- Gold - European Cup, Annecy (2008)
- Gold - European cross-country Championships, Gothenburg (2006)
Mo Farah: I work hard for what I get. I'm lucky to have a lot of good people in my life. I train with a lot of the Kenyan guys. I enjoy it 100%. If I didn't enjoy it, then I wouldn't be running for a living.
RYG: Where does your positive attitude come from?
MF: I enjoy what I do. I love the sport and I love working hard. When you work so hard for something, and you achieve what you set out to, it's really exciting.
RYG: How dedicated do you have to be to compete at an elite level?
MF: It's a lot of hard work. You need to have talent, but talent can only get you so far. You have to be willing to work hard. Training and competition are hard, so you have to be willing to do that. The Kenyans have a saying 'Train hard, win easy.' Sometimes things don't go well and you have to deal with that.
RYG: Is it tough training with the Kenyan runners?
MF: When you're training at 7,000 feet, and they're beating you by a few seconds, and working you hard, it can get really tough. At the same time it's worth it.
RYG: How important is attitude in a sport like athletics?
MF: Attitude is massive. You can have talent, but if you don't have the right attitude, nobody's going to take you on. You have to apply yourself in the right manner. At the same time you need to enjoy it.
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