Farah and Idowu take Britain past medal target

Mo Farah struck gold in the 5,000 metres and Phillips Idowu silver in the triple jump as Britain surpassed their medal target on the last day of competition at the World Championships in Daegu.

UK Athletics head coach Charles van Commenee had targeted seven medals, one of them gold, but saw his team win seven medals with two golds thanks to Farah and Dai Greene in the 400 metres hurdles.

“That is one of the very best performances we’ve ever had in the history of British athletics,” Van Commenee said.

“That sets us up for next year where the target is eight. So it’s my job to find another medal.

“We always knew there would be work to be done in the next 11 months. The good news is I now know what has to be done.”

Seven days after being pipped to victory in the 10,000m, Farah returned to the track and held off American Bernard Lagat to win a dramatic 5,000m in 13 minutes 23.36 seconds.

Just seconds later, it looked like Idowu would also win after a season’s best 17.70 metres, but American Christian Taylor then produced a stunning leap of 17.96m – the ninth longest in history – to relegate Idowu to the silver medal position.

The defending champion responded with 17.77m in the fourth round, but that only proved enough to be the longest jump in championship history not to win gold.

Farah had been happy to stay at the back of the pack in the early stages as the race slowed to almost walking pace at one stage, but Saudi Arabia’s Hussain Alhamdah eventually injected some pace with six laps to go.

Farah was contesting the lead by the bell, crucially maintaining the inside line on the orders of his coach Alberto Salazar as Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel tried to go around the outside.

With 100m to go Gebremeskel began to fade and it was Lagat – world champion over 1,500 and 5,000m in 2007 – who began to threaten, but Farah bravely held on to become the first British man to win a world title over 5,000m.

Ethiopia’s Imane Merga initially claimed bronze before being disqualified for running off the track, promoting compatriot Gebremeskel to third.

A delighted Farah, who did the long-distance double at the European Championships last year, said: “I’m very proud. I can’t believe it. It just hasn’t sunk in right now. I came so close in the 10k and I just wanted to do it in the 5k.

“Alberto just told me, ‘Do not let anyone pass’. Gebremeskel tried to come past me and I just had to hold him, hold him, hold him and then the last bit just try to dig in. I just had to go out there and try to relax; just do what I did in the 10k but get it right this time.”

Farah won ten races in a row earlier this year after moving his wife and daughter with him to work with Salazar in Oregon and added: “I just want to thank everyone who’s helped me. It’s great to have my family behind me.

“I’ve made a lot of sacrifices, moving away from home where it’s comfortable relative to everything else and I’m glad I made that choice because it’s working. I’ve got the gold now. It just feels amazing.”

Salazar, a former three-time winner of the New York marathon, added: “We’ve always known Mo has lots of heart and courage and tonight he showed he has real discipline.

“Mo is a great student and in these last four days we’ve just worked and talked about the concept of not over-striding at the finish, leaving something in reserve.

“And you could see it, there was a difference to the 10k.

“It’s exciting to see under pressure, having to remember something you’ve only worked on for four days.”

Idowu had promised all year he would come good when it mattered and could not be criticised for a supremely consistent display, with all six jumps at 17.38m or better.

“I thought I did have 17.96 in me,” the 32-year-old Londoner said. “I thought I had enough in my legs to respond. It just wasn’t my day.

“I’m content with what I’ve got. It’s not what I came out to do, but I’ll take it and I’ll go home and just focus on the next job. I’m proving year by year things are getting better.

“I think it’s the most consistent I’ve been in any championships so that’s definitely an improvement in itself.

“Today there’s no way I was going to be down. It’s my daughter D’Karma’s fourth birthday so today’s full of emotions and I’m not going to feel down. I spoke to my daughter, wished her happy birthday, told her I’m coming home tomorrow. Everyone’s happy at home so I’m cool.”

In the final event of the championships, Usain Bolt fittingly had the last word, anchoring the Jamaican team to gold and a new world record in the 4x100m relay.

France were second, with St Kitts and Nevis claiming a surprise bronze when the United States and Britain failed to finish, America’s Darvis Patton colliding with Britain’s Harry Aikines-Aryeetey coming into the final change-over.

Aikines-Aryeetey, who failed to get the baton from Marlon Devonish, said: “I felt this big knee in my arm. I’m disappointed. We didn’t come here for this. I said sorry to the guy [Patton] but I stayed in my lane. I’m a big guy.”