Olympic champion British sprinter Mo Farah has confirmed his running career is over, but he will take part in the London Marathon scheduled for October next year to determine his roadworthiness.

And the 39-year-old sportsman compared himself to the former Scottish tennis player of the first rank Andy Murray, believing that the latter still has “fighting spirit”.

However, it seems that Farah’s number one obstacle will be his body’s ability to meet the needs of his mind.

Farah moved into marathon competition (winning in Chicago and finishing third in London in 2018), crowning his neck with a gold medal in the 5,000 and 1,000 meters at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

He returned to the track in 2020 in pursuit of a fifth Olympic title, but became the ghost of a sprinter who scared his rivals and failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics last summer.

Things didn’t improve for the British sprinter this year as he unexpectedly lost to Ellis Cross on his return to the 10,000m race in London in May.

However, the Somali-born, exceptional treadmill runner did not retire and decided to test himself in the London Marathon on October 2, and a month earlier to take part in the Big Half (21.1 km) preparatory race. ).

“I’m still hungry, am I ready to put in the effort and run the miles? Yes,” Farah told the Daily Mirror.

He added: “I still have a fighting spirit inside of me and until I lose that feeling, I don’t think I should be thinking about ending my career, but to be realistic, can my body do it? I watched tennis and Andy Murray, the man still has that fighting spirit but his body won’t let him do it.”

He added, “I still practice in a way that ordinary people can’t. I still feel like I have that spirit, but I have to be realistic.”

Farah, who has also won six outdoor world titles, noted that his mind can “tell you to keep going, but sometimes it takes time … but sometimes you have to take a step back, be realistic.”

“The truth is, I get used to it a bit and sometimes your body just won’t let you do things. But that’s also the reason why I won’t be competing in the World or European Championships this summer.”

Farah insisted that the decision to retire would be his own, and concluded: “This decision can only come from me, not from my manager, my wife or my children, and that moment will come, but I don’t know that myself.”