10,000 metres, Men

The 10K final was held on the second night of athletics at the 2012 Olympic Stadium. Only hours before the race started Britain’s Greg Rutherford had won gold in the long jump, followed shortly by Jessica Ennis completing her heptathlon gold medal, with both victories bringing the pro-British crowd to a frenzy. The frenzy would only get more intense. The two-time defending champion was Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele but he had had a difficult year with injuries and his form was not known coming into London. Britain posted their hopes on Mo Farah, silver medalist in the event at the 2011 World Championships. Farah would run together with his training partner, American Galen Rupp, both of them coached by 1984 Olympian and former marathon world-record golder Alberto Salazar.

Farah and Rupp wanted a slow pace and to kick off it, but the other finalists must not have heard that. Bekele ran 65.2 for the opening lap but then jogged through the second in 73.2 and the third lap was even slower. The pace was lethargic with 5K passed only in 14:05.79. It was only in the final three laps that the pace quickened with Farah taking the lead at the bell. He led throughout the final laps as the African runners could not get to him. On the final turn, Rupp moved into third and on the final straight he outsprinted Ethiopian Tariku Bekele to win silver behind Farah, who ran 53.4 for his final lap. The Olympic Stadium rocked for the third British gold in only a few hours.

Farah would come back seven days later to win the distance double of 5/10K. Rupp’s medal in the 10K was the first for an American since Billy Mills had won the event at the 1964 Olympics. Kenenisa Bekele trailed back in fourth in his attempt to three-peat.