News07 Jul 2015


Farah returns to London to run 3000m – IAAF Diamond League

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Mo Farah, victorious at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in London (© Victah Sailer)

Great Britain’s double Olympic, world and European champion Mo Farah will be the star attraction on the first night of competition at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, an IAAF Diamond League meeting, which will be held in the former Olympic Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, on Friday 24 July.

The meeting organisers announced on Tuesday (7) that Farah will compete in the 3000m as part of his preparations for the IAAF World Championships in Beijing next month, where he is aiming to defend his 5000m and 10,000m titles.

“The race will be exciting on the Friday night at the Olympic Stadium," said Farah. "My training is going well and it is just what I need to prepare more for the IAAF World Championships."

“This year’s World Championships are hugely important to me and the 3000m at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will be the best possible preparation.

“I can’t wait to run in front of a home crowd again and thank the British public for all their support. I hope that the fans will come out and cheer me on at the Olympic Stadium on Friday 24 July.

"Knowing how it felt to run in that stadium in 2012 and 2013 means I can’t wait to round off my World Championships build up with a successful run in front of the best spectators in the world.

Farah won the 3000m at the 2013 IAAF Diamond League meeting in London in 7:36.85, which remains his official best outdoors, although he has run faster indoors and with unofficial hand-timed splits en route to longer distances.

“The Olympic Stadium feels like home to me. ‘Super Saturday’ at the London 2012 Olympic Games when Jess Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford and I all won gold medals for our country was the finest hour for athletics in Britain.”

The IAAF Diamond League meeting will carry on the following day, on Saturday, and will be the final time that the original London 2012 Olympic Games track is used before a new surface is laid for the 2017 World Championships at the same venue.

British Athletics have secured the right to host athletics in the former Olympic Stadium for one month every year for the next 50 years from 2016.

Organisers for the IAAF

2015 IAAF Diamond League calendar
Doha, QAT – 15 May
Shanghai, CHN – 17 May
Eugene, USA – 30 May
Rome, ITA – 4 June
Birmingham, GBR – 7 June
Oslo, NOR – 11 June
New York, USA – 13 June
Paris, FRA – 4 July
Lausanne, SUI – 9 July
Monaco, MON – 17 July
London, GBR – 24-25 July
Stockholm, SWE – 30 July
Zurich, SUI – 3 September
Brussels, BEL – 11 September

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