• Athletics

Farah wins New York half-marathon

ESPN staff
March 20, 2011
Mo Farah celebrated victory in New York © PA Photos
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Mo Farah continued his encouraging form ahead of London 2012 with a victory in the New York half-marathon - his debut over the distance.

Ethiopia's Gebre Gebremariam looked to be on the verge of clinching victory after moving ahead over the closing metres of the race, but Farah showed a strong sprinter's finish to pip Gebremariam and take the victory in a time of one hour 23 seconds - with Farah's training partner Galen Rupp in third.

"It was a great race," Farah said. "Me and Galen worked together but it came down to a sprint finish. The crowd made a big difference and it was really exciting.

"We knew Gebremariam had a big finish so we worked hard but we still could not get rid of him. I felt all right with 400m to go and just went for it."

A fortnight ago Farah celebrated victory in the 3000 metres at the European Indoor Championships in Paris. Prior to that he announced his decision to switch coaches to Alberto Salazar as he looks to give himself the best possible chance of winning a medal at the Olympics next year, a move that already looks to be paying dividends.

"Alberto is a great coach and training had been going so well so we knew I was in good shape, but in the race it was just a case of following everyone else," Farah added.

In the women's race, Kenya's Caroline Rotich set a new course record with victory in 1:08:58, breaking the previous mark by 27 seconds, which was set by Britain's Mara Yamauchi last year.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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