Mo Farah to Focus on 10,000 Meters for 2020 Olympics

By Adam Kopet

Mo Farah of Great Britain announced on YouTube Friday that he will return to the track in 2020 and focus on defending his 10,000-meter Olympic title.

Farah retired from the track at the end of the 2017 season to focus on the marathon. He saw success in his first year, finishing third at the 2018 London Marathon and winning the 2018 Chicago Marathon in a European record 2:05:11.

However, this year was not the year Farah wanted to have. He finished fifth at the London Marathon and eighth at the Chicago Marathon. Those are still terrific performances, but they do not necessarily point toward a medal in 2020.

Instead, Farah will focus on the 10,000 meters in Tokyo. He won the race in 2012 and 2016. His last 10,000-meter race came at the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships, which he won in 26:49.51.

However, Farah will face stiff competition in the 10,000 meters, as he would in the marathon. Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda finished runner-up to Farah at the 2017 World Championships. Since then, Cheptegei has won the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 10,000 meters at this year's IAAF World Outdoor Championships.