Mo Farah has been forced out of his first race in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympics with injury.
The Londoner was hoping to get his 2020 ambitions under way in the Vitality Big Half on the streets of London next month but pulled out on Wednesday morning with an achilles complaint.
Farah’s team insisted the injury was only minor but still sufficient for him to withdraw from a head-to-head against Ethiopian distance runner Kenenisa Bekele on March 1.
“I was really looking forward to racing the Vitality Big Half again,” said Farah. “Everyone knows how much I love racing in London but my priority is to be fit, healthy and competitive for the summer season and, for that reason, I have had to make the tough decision not to race this year. I definitely hope to be back again in 2021.”
The Big Half was set to be Farah’s sole pre-Tokyo road race, having declared his intention to focus on the track and the 10,000metres in Japan, where he is bidding to become a three-time Olympic champion over the distance.
Instead, he is expected to spend much of his time at a training base in Ethiopia with coach Gary Lough. It is unclear at this stage when and where Farah will compete for the first time this year.
