Mo Farah breaks Euro half marathon record in Lisbon
Farah triumphs at the Lisbon race by one second.
By Peter Gambaccini
Olympic and World 5,000 and 10,000 meter champion Mo Farah set a new British and European record of 59:32 at the Lisbon Half Marathon on Sunday, edging Kenya's Micah Kogo by one second.
And then he got tangled up in the finish line banner and slammed to the ground hard. "Normally when you cross the line you step over the tape but I was so tired I couldn't lift my legs and tripped over it," said the only slightly bruised Farah, in an IAAF report.
Farah hasn't run the half marathon often and his previous personal best was an even 1:00:00 from the 2014 Great North Run from Newcastle to South Shields, England. Last month, he set a world record of 8:03.40 for the indoor two mile, so the Lisbon performance is a vivid indication of his distance range and his sharpness, in a year in which he'll defend his World Championship titles on the track in Beijing.
Perhaps most importantly, Sunday's race corroborated the fact that he has world-class patience and tactical intelligence, as he bided his time before pouncing against frontrunners who had, frankly, gone out too fast.
Although there was talk of Farah as the "pre-race favourite," he was part of a field that included six men who'd broken 1:00:00 for the distance, the fastest of whom was Stephen Kibet with a 58:54. With their presence, and Farah's, there was talk of breaking the world record of 58:23 set by Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea in Lisbon in 2010.
The lead pack's pace seemed indicative of that ambition, and when Farah fell 12 seconds behind in the ninth mile, his rivals might have though he was done for the day. But about two miles later, leaders Kogo and Kibet were slowing slightly and Farah was catching them.
Kibet drifted away (he finish third in 59:58) and Farah and Kogo, the 2008 Olympic 10,000 metre bronze medalist, went through 20K in 56:27, another European record for Farah. In the final 100 metres, as had so often before, Farah summoned the closing kick to ensure his victory.
"It feels amazing," Farah said. "To win here was hard but it's my birthday is tomorrow so it's a good birthday present." He turned 32 on Monday.
The women's crown in Lisbon went to Kenya's Rose Chelimo in 1:08:22. She took control of race at the 8K mark and was never seriously challenged after that. Portugal's Sara Moreira, the third place finisher in last November's New York City Marathon, was the runner-up in her nation's capital, well back in 1:09:18.Priscah Jeptoo, who on April 26 will be looking to recapture the London Marathon title she won in 2013, was third in 1:09:21.
Mo Farah breaks Steve Ovett's European two-mile record
Sir Mo Farah aims to break men's one-hour record
Kiplagat breaks half marathon world record
Farah breaks the British marathon record at the London Marathon 2018
Mo Farah breaks the 2 miles world record in Birmingham
Mo Farah: the road to London