Olympic athletes call Spoty snub of Teddington-trained Mo Farah ‘really sad’
Mo Farah has previously hailed Teddington for changing his life and career after he rediscovered his passion for running there.
However, he missed out on the BBC Sports personality of the year award in fourth place despite retaining his Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m titles in style in Rio a feat that is the first in Britain’s history.
Tennis ace Andy Murray scooped the award but fellow Olympians Alistair Brownlee and Nick Skelton have expressed that they would have voted for Farah with the former suggesting he may not have won because some ‘do not see him as British.’
Brownlee added: ““For me Mo’s achievements are incredible and what stands out about them is that no one from this country has ever done them before.
“There is a good chance that no one will again. It’s not like someone does it every year – it is a complete one-off in what are two very competitive, blue riband athletic events.
“It’s really sad, because for me he is the perfect British story. It’s what we should be about: a person who comes to Britain as a young man, as a refugee, and an ex‑schoolteacher identifies something that he’s brilliant at and he represents Britain as the best in the world. I think that’s a fantastic British story.”
It was Teddington that inspired the nine-time Global champion to take running seriously, after moving in with some Kenyan athletes he realised the dedication it would take to reach the top.
Farah moved into the house in 2006 and went for a jog the following day, this was after a heavy night out while his housemates were asleep by 9pm – he was inspired by their culture.
Mo trained around the area with his new housemates and began living a monk-like life with a strict routine and training programme. He was often seen training around Teddington, Richmond and Strawberry Hill and hailed Teddington for being the place that turned his life around.
