"It was quite emotional because I haven't been feeling well this week as I've got a bit of a cold,"- Mo Farah at The Big Half

British Somali athlete Mo Farah expressed that he felt emotional after his last race in London at The Big Half. He desired to win the half marathon for the fourth time but failed after finishing fourth on September 3.

40-year-old Farah raced his last at England’s capital alongside 15000 other runners on Sunday. The four-time Olympic gold medallist opened to a great start at the marathon but eventually raced at a relatively slower pace. He was on par with the leading pack in the beginning but stayed behind them after 30 minutes.

Ultimately, Mo Farah crossed the finish line in fourth place, clocking 1:02:43s. His competitor, Jack Rowe won with a personal best time of 1:01:08s. Mahamed Mahamed, who received massive cheers in the audience finished second with 1:01:00s time-frame. Lastly, Andrew Butchart came in third, clocking 1:02:15.

The athlete racing at Lucozade Sport At 2023 TCS London Marathon

After competing at the London Marathon earlier this year in April, the athlete mentioned his retirement plan. He announced that he would retire from his long-distance running career after competing at the Great North Run in Newcastle on September 10.

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However, he wanted to bid goodbye to London by racing at The Big Half. After the marathon, Farah expressed his thoughts to BBC:

"It was quite emotional because I haven't been feeling well this week as I've got a bit of a cold," said Mo Farah.

Furthermore, the athlete added:

"I wasn't sure if I could do the race but I was thinking of all the people that came out here and that I'm not going to get another chance.

Farah expressed that, despite his health conditions, he arrived at the competition to give his best. Also, talking about his retirement, he mentioned:

"When you achieve everything, it must come to an end at some point. I'm getting on a bit."

A look at Mo Farah’s athletic career

Considered one of the greatest runners of all time, Mo Farah specializes in the 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m races. He achieved the gold medal in 5,000m at the 2012 Olympic Games and in 10,000m at the 2016 Olympic Games. This made him the second athlete, after Lasse Virén, to win both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m titles at successive Olympic Games.

Moreover, Farah became the first man in athletic history to compete and win 5000m and 10000m at the 2015 and 2017 world championships. His win was termed as 'quadruple-double'.

His athletic prowess also made him the recipient of the prestigious European Athlete of the Year award and the British Athletics Writers Association British Athlete of the Year award, three times and six times, respectively.