Double gold winner says he's running half-race as preparation for next year's full event not for financial gain. Mo Farah issued a forthright rejection of allegations that cashing in on his spectacular Olympic success has become a motivating factor and insists he will respect the race and the rest of the field when he makes his first appearance in the London Marathon on Sunday.
The day after arriving back in his home city from his US base in Oregon, Farah said being accused of becoming focused on the financial rewards that have followed his two gold medals at the London Olympics have "hurt" him. I'm here to do well. The Briton denied he is running because of the appearance fee he will receive for completing half the race on Sunday β he will drop out after 13 miles β and then making his full Marathon debut here in Farah will earn a six-figure fee for both races.
And that's one of the things that hurts. I genuinely enjoy my athletics. It's something I did as a kid. It was a hobby which became my job.
To turn up just for this and that would be the wrong reasons. It's not nice but all the people who know who I am know I'm not the sort of person who would do that. Farah refused to speak to one national newspaper over some of the claims they made about his post-Olympic career. The criticism directed his way has, he said, surprised him. You can't be worried about other people. If I was to worry about all those peripheral things I don't think I would have won [at the Olympics]. I've got a manager and coach to take care of the other stuff.
I just run. That's all I do. It will be Farah's first race in London since his Olympic triumphs and he will be the centre of most of the spectators' attention during the first half of the race β he is adamant he will go no further than halfway. Wilson Kipsang, the defending champion, and others among the elite field have welcomed his partial participation. Farah never contemplated pulling out of Sunday's race in the wake of the Boston bombings.
