Farah back on track for 10,000m target at Tokyo Games

Britain's Mo Farah after finishing eighth in the men's marathon. [Courtesy]

Olympic champion Mo Farah is returning to the track to chase more gold in the 10,000m at next year’s Tokyo Games, the Briton announced on his YouTube channel on Friday.

The 36-year-old, a four-time Olympic champion and six times world champion over 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres, retired from track athletics in 2017 to focus on road marathons, going on the break the British record.

“Next year I’ve decided for Tokyo 2020 I’m going to be back on the track, I’m really excited to compete and... give it a go in the 10,000m,” he said.

“Hopefully I haven’t lost my speed but I will train hard for it and see what I can do.”

The three times 10,000m world champion said in March that watching Briton Laura Muir claim the European Indoor 1,500m and 3,000m double made him realise how much he missed the track.

“Having seen my fellow athletes, who I’ve competed against in the past, and watching the European Indoor Championships on TV, I was thinking ‘Oh man! I want to get back out there’,” he said at the time.

“That’s just me. If things are going well and I’ve got a chance to win a medal, then I’d love to come back and run for my country.”

Farah, who will still have to qualify for Tokyo, said he had enjoyed running marathons. He finished eighth in Chicago in October after winning in 2018 in his best time for the distance, 2:05.11 - a European record.

“To win the Chicago Marathon was nice and to finish third in the London Marathon was OK, and it’s been a great learning curve for me,” he said.

Farah was bombarded with questions about his former coach Alberto Salazar, who was handed a four-year ban in September by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), at this year’s Chicago Marathon.

The Briton, who has not been accused of any wrongdoing, worked from 2011 to 2017 with Salazar.