Mo Farah looking to break thirteen minute barrier during the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace
Last updated 28/05/2009 13:25:28
Mo Farah looking to break thirteen minute barrier during the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace
European indoor champion Mo Farah has set his sights on another British record when he takes to the track at the Aviva London Grand Prix in two months time.
This time Farah will race over 5000m at the high profile meeting on 24 and 25 July at Crystal Palace and the Teddington-based athlete believes he is ready to break Dave Moorcroft's long standing British record of 13:00.41 minutes.
The 26-year-old looks set to enjoy a special summer on the track after a superb win over 10km on the streets of central London on Monday, where he also smashed the 25-year-old British road record, clocking 27 minutes 50 seconds.
Farah said: "I didn't realise I'd broken the British record, so that was an added bonus. Now I want to go on and see what else I can manage this summer.
"I'm racing over 5,000m in London, and I want to go out there and give it my best. If I can get another British record under my belt then I'll be happy. I know I've got it in me to run under 13 minutes – I've just got seven seconds to knock off my own time. I hope I can do that in front of the London crowd. "
The win follows successful spell spent training at altitude in France. Earlier in the year the Newham & Essex Beagle also spent some time in Kenya training alongside many of the country's top long distance athletes, and it's clear Farah's dedication is paying off.
He said: "I've had a really good build up to the outdoor season, I went to altitude at Font Romeu, France to train with Nick McCormick, Moses Kipsiro and Boniface Kiprop at the UKA Endurance camp and I think that has really helped me.
"I benefited a lot over the winter when I was out in Kenya training, so I wanted to give myself another strong start to the season. It would be great to continue the success I had at the beginning of the year, and I believe I'm in the sort of form where that will be possible."
The Somalia-born star has already notched up an impressive number of British records, including the indoor 3,000m which he has lowered twice. Now Farah looks like he has every chance of being the first Briton to run under 13minutes for the 5000m – and in the process breaking the record set by Moorcroft in 1982 – before Farah was born.