MOSCOW, Russia (Sporting Alert) — Olympic champion Mo Farah booked his place in the men’s 5000m final on day four at the 2013 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday.
Watch IAAF World Championships Live Stream on Universal Sports: August 13, 2013 @ 1:30 am ET | Listen to live radio commentary on IAAF | Follow Live Results
Tuesday: Aug. 13 – 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. LIVE Evening Session on Universal Sports
Farah, who captured the 10000m title on the opening day of the championships, ran 13 minutes and 23.93 seconds to finished fifth in the second semi-final heat behind race winner Muktar Edris of Ethiopia, who ran 13:20.82 after sprinting away from Kenyan pair Edwin Soi (13:21.44) and Isiah Koech (13:22.19).
Farah said the aim was just to make the final, now it’s time to recover and be ready for another gold medal attempt.
“I feel good. I got to the final, that was my goal. Now I have to recover for the final,” Farah told reporters after his race.
“Yesterday I was resting and now I have to gather all my strength. Today, it was pretty hard for to get up in the morning as I am not a morning person, though I had to wake up at 6am.
“I just got up and came to the competition.”
Farah and Rupp opted to back off the pace in the closing parts of the heat, but Edris said he was okay with keeping the tempo going.
“I liked the pace,” he said. “On the last lap, unlike Farah and Rupp, I did not slow down after being sure I was in the top five because wanted to check myself, and my sprint in these conditions.”
Joining the Great Britain distance superstar is his training partner, American Galen Rupp, who ran 13:23.91 to finish just ahead of him the same heat.
Meanwhile, Ethiopians Hagos Gebrhiwet (13:23.22) and Yenew Alamirew (13:23.48) finished 1-2 in the first heat, with American Bernard Lagat, 13:23.59, also booking his place in the final.
