Mo’s Dunkirk spirit (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Mo’s Dunkirk spirit

12:37pm Thursday 30th November 2006 in

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NEWHAM and Essex Beagles European 5000m silver medallist Mo Farah scored a great win at the international cross country meeting in Dunkirk, France, on Sunday, as he saw off the world's top-ranked 10,000m runner Micah Kogo.

The race proved great preparation for the 23-year-old's assault on the European Cross Country Championships in Italy on December 10, as he became the first European winner of the event since 1994, when Paulo Guerra (Portugal) won.

Africa has dominated with winners since then, and it looked the same old story as Farah trailed behind Kenyan star Kogo. But the Beagle, who returned last Monday from a month's altitude training in South Africa, showed dogged determination on the last lap.

He eventually crossed the line ahead of the favourite by two seconds, after stopping the clock in 19 minutes 51 seconds. The delighted Beagle said: "Micah pushed on the last lap but couldn't get rid of me.

"Then when I saw the finish, I kicked. I trained hard in South Africa.

"This race was to see where I am with my fitness.

"I was up there all the way through. I knew it would be hard, but I believed in myself."