Mo Farah: Kenya made me who I am

Former Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah has said that he will forever remain indebted to Kenya for his decorated career in athletics.

The 41-year-old retired Somali-British distance runner said that were it not for Kenyan athletes, who encouraged him to come and train with them in Iten, Elgeyo-Marakwet, he would have made it in the sport.

“Kenya will always have a big place in my heart because, without the Kenyan athletes, who saw my talents and encouraged me to come to Kenya and train with them, and show me what I was capable of, I would have never achieved what I have,” said the four-time Olympic gold medallist.

“That is why it was so important for me to come here with IOM (International Organisation for Migration) as a Global Goodwill Ambassador and show what we can do with the power of sports, how we can change many, many things and break down many barriers,” added the six-time world champion.

He spoke on Tuesday at Serena Hotel, Nairobi, during a meeting that brought together various stakeholders, including a section of Kenyan athletes.

Farah has since Saturday been in Kenya for a three-day visit as the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

It was his first visit in that capacity since his appointment on November 28 last year. During his active running days, Farah frequented Iten for high-altitude training.

Ahead of the London 2012 Olympics, he was part of the Team Great Britain camping in Iten for high-altitude training.

He was at the Lornah Kiplagat High Altitude Training Centre.

He also camped at the centre for a month before his marathon debut in London on April 13, 2014. Farah finished eighth in the race after timing two hours, eight minutes and 21 seconds. Kenya's Wilson Kipsang won the race in 2:04:29.

The 2023 Great North Run in Newcastle, United Kingdom, was Farah's last race. He finished fourth.

His visit to the country has been full of activities.

On Sunday, he opened a digital library at Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) headquarters in Komarock, Nairobi, planted trees, and gave an inspirational talk to youth and migrant athletes.

He also participated in the Mo Farah Cup (football tournament), graced by over 200 urban migrants.

MYSA were crowned the winners of the tournament.

On Monday, the legendary athlete visited Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana, where he advocated for the inclusion and development of sports.

On Tuesday, he paid a courtesy call on President William Ruto at State House in Nairobi and Sports Principal Secretary Peter Tum at Talanta Plaza.

“The world must work in concert in finding solutions that make migration positive rather than negative. Migration should increasingly be seen as a search for opportunities even when movement is forced by conflict or ravages of climate change,” President Ruto posted on X after meeting with Farah and IOM Kenya Chief of Mission Sharon Dimanche.

Farah said the visit to Kakuma was emotional since it reminded him of his past as a migrant.

Farah, who was born Hussein Abdi Kahin, is a survivor of human trafficking.

In July last year, he shocked the world when he revealed to a BBC documentary that he was trafficked as a child to Britain.

“If it was not for sports, I wouldn’t be here today,” said the former Olympic champion.

“Sports has saved me. My teacher saw how neglected I was and took me to the running field. I started to enjoy running because that was the only place I could let my feelings out and, again there is always light at the end of the tunnel. I never gave up, so just keep living and working hard.”

He was appointed the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 and was Knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to athletics.