Farah says 2023 London Marathon will be his last

LONDON: British athletics great Mo Farah has said this year’s London Marathon will likely be his last as he contemplates the end of a brilliant career.

The 40-year-old is best known for his success on the track winning gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at both the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, as well as several world titles across both distances.

And while his marathon career has reached nothing like the same heights, Farah is keen to run in London again after missing last year’s edition even though he will be 40 by the time of the April 23 race

“It’s been an amazing career and taking part in the London Marathon is a very big deal,” he said in a statement issued by event organisers. “I was gutted not to race last year and I just want to give it one more shot.

“It depends on my body. I just want to get to the start line and see what I can manage. I’m just taking one race at a time.”

He added: “I’m not a spring chicken any more. You can’t keep coming back in the right shape and, for me, I’d love to be able to finish it at home.”

Farah has ruled out competing at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, but may yet try to finish his time as a British international at this year’s World Championships in Budapest.

“I’m not going to go to the Olympics and I think 2023 will be my last year,” he added. “But if it came down to it towards the end of the year and you did get picked for your country, I’d never turn that down.”

Farah last ran in London in 2019, coming fifth, having finished third the year before.

“So it’s been a little while,” he said. “But I’ll be preparing well, I’ll head out to Ethiopia and put in a lot of solid training and see what I can do when it comes to April.”

Farah, who turns 40 in March, from taking part in last years event and this will be his first full marathon since 2019, where he came fifth.The British marathon record holder is set to contest his fourth London Marathon and has a best finish of third in 2018 - the year he would also go on to claim his only major marathon win in Chicago.