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Rio Olympics 2016: Farah’s win stamps him as ‘greatest’

Farah: history-making run.

Farah: history-making run. Photo: Getty

Great Britain’s Mo Farah has became only the second man in history to retain both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles.

Farah stormed home to win the 5,000m in 13.03.30 seconds.

It’s the fourth gold medal for Farah, 33, who now ranks as Britain’s greatest Olympic track and field athlete of all time.

The win made him only the second man after the Flying Finn, Lasse Viren, to complete the hallowed “double-double” by winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m at successive Games.

The USA’s Paul Kipkemoi Chelimo took silver and Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet won bronze.

Australia’s Brett Robinson finished 15th in a time of 13.32.30 seconds.

South Africa’s Caster Semenya took the gold medal in the Olympic 800 metres in a personal best time of 1:55.28 seconds.

Burundi’s Francine Niyonsaba finished in 1:56.49 seconds to claim the silver, her country’s second medal in any sport at the Olympics.

Kenya’s Margaret Wambui took bronze in 1:56.89.

Semenya has dominated the 800m this season and there had been speculation she could take down Czech Jarmila Kratochvilova’s 1983 time of 1:53.28 seconds — the longest standing athletics world record, set in an era when eastern European doping was rife.

farah

Farah is the second man in history to retain both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles. Photo: Getty

After winning the silver medal in London four years ago, the 25-year-old South African has recorded three of the four fastest times in the world this year.

With ABC

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