Mo Farah hints at retirement, eyes one final London Marathon

London Marathon organizers announced Tuesday that Mo Farah will toe the line at this year’s race, and with this announcement came some even bigger news: that this could be Farah’s final race as a professional. While he has yet to explicitly say he will be retiring, he did tell The Guardian that this season will probably be his last. If that is the case, the 2023 London Marathon will be a race to remember. 

𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙞𝙧, 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙈𝙤?@Mo_Farah will give the TCS London Marathon another shot in April 🤩#LondonMarathon | #EliteWeek

— TCS London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) January 31, 2023

One last lap

Farah was vague when asked if this year would be his last time racing the London Marathon, but he did say he wants to give the race “another shot and, most importantly, get to the start line feeling healthy.” He noted that he has had “a tough few years with injuries,” but he cannot wait to get back on the race course. “I’ve got nothing to prove in this race. It’ll just be nice to be back on the streets of London, knowing that everyone’s behind you and cheering you on.” 

Farah told The Guardian that he got back to running after injury in December, and while he may still compete after the London Marathon, this may be it for him. “I’m not going to go to the Olympics. 2023 will probably be my last year,” he said. Of course, there’s always a chance he won’t retire just yet, especially if another chance to compete for Great Britain comes up. “If it came down to it, towards the end of the year, and you are capable and got picked for your country, then I would never turn that down.”

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah confirmed his participation in April's London Marathon, which could prove to be his last competitive event ✅

The 39-year-old expects 2023 to be his final year of racing before retirement ⏱️

More ⤵️#BBCAthletics #BBCSport

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) January 31, 2023

A storied career 

Farah is without doubt one of the greatest runners in the history of the sport. He owns six world championship crowns (all on the track, in the 5,000m and 10,000m) and four Olympic gold medals (he completed the 5,000m-10,000m double in both 2012 and 2016). In 2013, he jumped to the marathon, and a year later, he ran to an eighth-place finish in London. In the coming years, Farah competed on the road between track events. In 2015, he set the British national record in the half-marathon, running 59:32 in Lisbon.

Three years after that, he returned to the London Marathon, where he flew to a podium finish, crossing the line in third and setting himself up nicely for a record-breaking performance in Chicago just a few months later, when he ran the British marathon best of 2:05:11 en route to the win. All in all, Farah owns eight British national records, the European 10,000m record (26:46.57) and the world one-hour record (21,330m), earning him a spot on the Mount Rushmore of all-time running greats.