Mo Farah in the mens 5000m at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Moscow 2013 (© Getty Images)
Two years ago in Moscow, Mo Farah completed the second part of his distance double when he unleashed a sizzling 53.44 last lap to successfully defend the title he had first won in 2011.
Consequently, history beckons and the Briton could become the first three-time winner of this event.
However, much also depends on Farah’s fortunes in the 10,000m, which will be a straight final on the first day of the championships with the heats of the shorter distance coming four days later.
“I’m confident but you never know,” said Farah three weeks ago about his chances in the 5000m.
“The Kenyans and the Ethiopians are really strong. They always have someone coming through, so in terms of the depth, it’s really strong. I shouldn’t take it for granted but at the same time there’s no pressure.
“I should go out there and hopefully try to win the 10,000m for sure: and then the 5000m is going to be a little bit tougher to be honest with you. You never know, anything can happen. Like four years ago, in 2011, it was Ibrahim Jeilan (in the 10,000m). I wanted to win the race. He came from nowhere."
In Moscow, Farah was followed home in the 5000m by Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet and Kenya’s Isiah Koech, and both men are among the entries for this championships, potentially bidding to usurp the man who currently is the double Olympic, world and European champion.
Gebrhiwet has already beaten Farah once this season, out-sprinting him over 3000m at the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting of the season in Doha.
Another Ethiopian, the prodigious 18-year-old Yomif Kejelcha, leads the 2015 world list after winning in Rome in 12:58.39 and is part of a strong quartet from the distance running power that also includes Dejen Gebremeskel and Imane Merga, one of who will have to be dropped ahead of the heats.
Kenya’s team also includes African champion and Diamond Race winner Caleb Ndiku and 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Edwin Soi.
One other man who might have a say in the destination of the medals is Turkey’s European indoor 3000m champion Ali Kaya, the fastest man this year not from Ethiopia or Kenya.
Kaya, just 21, improved his national record to 13:00.31 when finishing seventh in Rome, but doesn’t seem to have quite the same set of gears as Farah and the East Africans and might get caught short for speed if the race becomes a fairly typical tactical affair before a sudden acceleration at the bell.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF
