Farah eyes one-hour record in return to track

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will make his return to the track at Friday’s Diamond League meeting in Brussels, three years after having opted for road running.

Farah, who won 5,000-10,000m doubles at both the London and Rio Olympics, will target Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie’s record of 21.285km run in one hour, set back in 2007.

“I missed the track, I’m really excited to be back on the track,” said the 37-year-old Briton, also a six-time world gold medallist.

“Training has gone well,” Farah said, adding that going for the record was “possible”.

“This record has been there for a long time, set by someone who has done a lot for athletics.”

Farah, who aims to compete in the 10,000m at next year’s postponed Tokyo Olympics, will return to road racing next month when he acts as a pace setter in the London marathon for Kenya’s world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele.

“It’s a strange year for all of us… a difficult time. We have to support each other,” Farah said.

The coronavirus-induced delay to the Tokyo Olympics, he added, “is maybe a good thing for me — I will have more time to race, get more confidence.”

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands headlines the women’s one-hour race, competing against Kenyan Brigid Kosgei as the duo target the world record of 18.517km set by Ethiopian Dire Tune Arissi in 2008.

The Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with the track and field season and Friday’s meet will take place behind closed doors.

The Diamond League has seen meets cancelled in Shanghai, a second Chinese destination, Eugene in Oregon, London, Paris, Rabat and Gateshead in England.

The meeting in Monaco went ahead, while Lausanne featured just pole vaulting. The Rome meet is still scheduled for September 17, with the season due to end in Doha on September 25.