Mo Farah has become a fan favourite on British reality TV

Four-time Olympic champion and knighted British runner Mo Farah is on reality TV. Farah took some time during the pandemic to film the British show, I’m a celebrity… Get me outta here! a survival program created by London Weekend Television. Farah reportedly accepted just shy of 500,000 CAD to appear on the show. The show has participants living together (in a castle) in difficult circumstances and completing individual tasks. They have to avoid getting voted out at the end of each week. 

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Other cast members for this season include Coronation Street actors, BBC hosts, a Paralympian and professional dancers. Farah had to quarantine before beginning filming. According to EuroSport, his decision to participate in the show is a bit of a double-edged sword for UK Athletics. On one hand, it’s great publicity for track and field, but on the other hand, his filming schedule could impede training and subsequently his ability to perform his best at the upcoming Olympics. 

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Farah has announced his intent to return to the track for the upcoming Olympics. The runner took some time to focus on marathoning, but wasn’t nearly as successful on the roads as he had been on the track. His strongest marathon performance was a 2:05 at the 2018 Chicago Marathon. 

If Farah can get back to his old 10,000m shape by the summer, he would become the oldest man to ever win an Olympic 10,000m title. He won in 2012 and 2016 (along with winning the 5,000m both years) but the 2020 field will be strong. Among his competitors for the gold medal will likely be Canadian Mohammed Ahmed, Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei and possibly his former training partner Galen Rupp.