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Mo Farah defends decision to stick by his coach amid rumours that doping inquiry has been dropped

Olympic champion Mo Farah has said he made the right call to stick with his coach Alberto Sa...



Mo Farah defends decision to s...
Golf

Mo Farah defends decision to stick by his coach amid rumours that doping inquiry has been dropped

Olympic champion Mo Farah has said he made the right call to stick with his coach Alberto Salazar, after hearing reports that a doping investigation into the mentor has been quietly dropped.

Allegations of facilitating doping were extended towards Salazar as a result of a BBC documentary, which alleged that he had had given the banned supplement testosterone to Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp as a 16-year-old.

He was also accused of other ethical violations, all of which the athletic coach has denied. The Somalia-born Farah then came under considerable pressure to suspend his relationship with Salazar, by the British Athletics chairman, Ed Warner.

Almost one year on however, no sanctions have been issued and speaking ahead of the Diamond League meeting in Birmingham, a defiant Mo Farah told British media that maintaining his links with Salazar, was the right move.

"For sure. What happened last year, I am past it now. Things have taken care of themselves and done what they need to do."

"There is some kind of chat or news, saying that ‘Oh, everything has been done, there was nothing, and they haven’t found nothing’, which all along I knew anyway and that is why I stuck by him."

The two-time Olympic winner and five-time world champion, withdrew from the Diamond League meeting last year, saying that the allegations about Salazar had left him feeling emotionally and physically drained.

Farah, who was questioned as part of the investigation, voiced his appreciation of those who supported him throughout the ordeal:

"I don’t want to let anyone down. I am very grateful when people come out to support me and are there. It was just in that moment, I felt I wasn’t myself, I felt like I couldn’t just give what people deserved. It’s no point saying I’m going to give it to them – and then not give it to them."

"Last year when I was being interviewed I didn’t really want to be here, although I had to be. Now it’s different, I am quite excited about the race. I am thinking about athletics and that is all I can do. This is what I train for."

Farah will run in the 3,000m race in the meeting today.

 

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