Farah and Butchart march into 5,000m final

By Sam Tonks

The pressure you take up as multiple Olympic and World champion is enormous. To constantly race with a target on your back is difficult with your competitors are always trying to figure out how to beat you before every race. Yet, Mo Farah doesn’t seem to falter and breezed into the 5,000m final on Saturday.

“I’m pretty tired, it was a tough run coming off the 10k but it’s all good,” Farah said.

“To qualify is good, I’ll recover and see what I can do.”

His opening night gold in the 10,000m was one of the most hard-fought of his career, but he’s battling on like a fighting champion does.

“It’s difficult to put yourself out there again, you’re not always gonna win,” he said.

“No one will do the rounds for you, you’ve just got to turn the lights off and get in the zone.”

A gold this weekend would complete a phenomenal ‘triple double’, cementing his legacy and one of the greatest in the history of British sport.

“Anything is possible, the Kenyans say you train hard, win easy,” declared Farah.

“I’ve been given a chance in my life and worked hard, they can dream, kids can be like me, we just have to look towards the next generation.”

Fellow Brit, Andy Butchart joined him via a fastest loser spot in the second heat, his first world championships final after a sixth-place finish in Rio last year.

“It’s nice to get to a world champs final, we don’t know what’s gonna happen,” said Butchart.

“It’d be nice to get a medal and not fourth like the others.”