Mo Farah

LONG-DISTANCE runner Mo Farah has been hailed as “a complete athlete” by the head coach of UK Athletics, Charles van Commenee.

The World champion at 5,000m dropped down to 1,500m at Saturday’s Aviva International match in Glasgow and picked up a superb victory in the final event of the day.

Following five weeks of altitude training in Kenya, Farah out-sprinted the fastest man in the world over the distance indoors, in 2011, Augustine Choge to clinch victory for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the five-team event.

“We’ll remember that race for a while, it was fantastic,” Van Commenee said.

“Beating the world leader is quite special. It’s not his distance so it’s very pleasing to see the world champion over 5,000m beat the best athlete over 1500m. That’s very encouraging.

“It seems like Mo always has another gear. All athletes of that calibre like to fight, but not everybody has the engine.

“He’s the world champion, there are not any weaknesses. Last year in the 10k (at the World Championships in Daegu) he was slightly taken by surprise but he is warned now - he’s a complete athlete.

“It’s good for the nation, but he’s not the only one. We have a good group of athletes at the moment who have the capacity to represent the nation well at the Games.

“Mo at the moment is the number one, but there are a few who can take over.”

Farah’s win was one of seven for the home team, with Mark Lewis-Francis (60m), Danny Talbot (200m), Margaret Adeoye (200m), Joe Thomas (800m), Jeanette Kwakye (60m) and Yamile Aldama (triple jump) also victorious.