BOSTON – Mo Farah, the British Olympic Association’s track and field athlete of 2010, is set to come ashore in Boston for the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix on February 5th, organizers announced today. Farah, the reigning European Champion at 5000m and 10,000m, will be among the favored athletes in the 3000m. Tickets for the 16th annual Olympic-styled event are on sale now at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.
Farah, Britain’s first-ever European gold medalist at 10,000m, followed up his historic victory at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona with a win in the 5000m just days later, completing the first successful 5000m/10,000m double at the European Championships since 1990. He also broke Great Britain’s long standing 5000m record that summer, running 12:57.94 to shatter David Moorcroft’s historic 28 year-old mark. In breaking the record, Farah became the country’s first ever sub-thirteen minute 5000m man. No stranger to fast times, Farah set the British Indoor Record at 3000m in 2009 with a time of 7:34.97, and later that winter, won gold at the European Indoor Championships at this same distance.
Mo Farah will be challenged by Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel, who was ranked seventh in the world last year over 5000m, was the runner-up to Bernard Lagat in Boston at 5000m last year and ended 2010 with an outdoor personal best of 12:53.56.
Farah and Gebremeskel join previously announced athletes including Jenny Barringer Simpson in the 3000m, Nick Willis and Alan Webb in the mile, pole vault American Record-Holder Jennifer Suhr, Lauryn Williams and Kalkidan Gezahegne from Ethiopia.
The 16th-annual meet, the second stop in USA Track & Field’s Visa Championship Series, begins at 5:00 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College. Tickets and meet Information can be found on-line at www.nbindoorgrandprix.com or by calling 1-877-TIX-TRAC.
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