There cannot have been many years when an athlete did not figure in the short list of 10 nominees for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards and let us hope 2006 is a rare example. At a time when the sport is bereft of success and household names it can only revel in the progress of Mo Farah, the likeable 23-year-old who this weekend lifted his first senior title.
The European cross-country championships have been a happy hunting ground for British athletes since their inception 12 years ago and at times have raised false hope of further success at world championships and Olympic Games. However this appears to be no false dawn for Farah.
There is a time when most athletes reach a crossroads in their career. Even the most talented juniors need to realise that success at the highest level requires a new set of parameters in training and attitude and that without devotion - bordering on obsession - the path desired by most remains impossible to find.
Farah has clearly had a plentiful supply of talent since he arrived in this country as a 10-year-old. However, his commitment was questioned at times. A sociable and popular character, he was feted as a precocious junior but appeared occasionally to let youthful exuberance get the upper hand. In a sport desperate for some male distance-running prowess he could have settled for ruling the roost over a mediocre period of British distance running but thankfully his ambition has outgrown his compatriots'.
Under the tutelage of Alan Storey and Mark Rowland his progress in the past 18 months is extremely encouraging. It is perhaps no surprise that training partners liken him to Paula Radcliffe, in his attention to detail, and his decision to live and train with Kenyan counterparts in Teddington has opened his eyes to what running without distraction really means.
So what happens next? A silver medal over 5,000m in Gothenburg last summer and a new personal best for the distance, which ranks him second behind Dave Moorcroft in the British all-time list, was evidence of the big steps he has taken but, with the world championships and Olympics to come in the next 20 months, it was essential that this winter he continued to build on last year.
His first dilemma in the new year may be whether or not to stick with his apparent plan to run the European Indoors in Birmingham or to stay on the country and head off to the worlds. Sunday's victory did not come easily and the Kenyans and Ethiopians are on a different level when it comes to the world cross-country, which are in their own backyard in Mombasa in March. Farah should choose his races carefully.
The track is where his real prospects may lie. The 13-minute barrier and Moorcroft's record could be within reach but Farah will have to improve his 1500m speed, which he is more than capable of. His recent successes will give him racing opportunities unavailable to him up to this point but again he must choose wisely.
A fast time gained in 10th position has limited value and learning to win is a valuable asset. The world championship final in Osaka will be his minimum target but for the first time in many years Britain has a distance runner it can genuinely have high hopes for.
There is still an engaging innocence and impetuousness about Farah and his race craft needs to be worked on but details like that are relevant only when all the hard work has been done. It would be nice to think that his biggest problem is deciding whether to try to win another Euro cross title or accept his invite to the annual BBC bash.
