Mo Farah has never been what you would call risk averse.

This, after all, was the young man who, as reported by Virgin London Marathon race director Dave Bedford, once jumped naked into the Thames off Kingston Bridge under the influence of more than one beer.

More profoundly, this was the young man who made the big decision to leave his native Somalia and start a new life in Britain, fighting his own battles at school - sometimes literally - as he struggled to pick up the language.

And Farah's career has also been characterised by leaps into unknown territory.

Six years ago he decided that, in the case of the Kenyans who continued to dominate middle distance events on the track and over the country, it was a case of "if you can't beat them, join them" and so Farah became a member of the "Kenyan household" at the runners' Teddington training base, embracing everything from frequent training to regular consumption of ugali - the glutinous, energy-giving maize porridge, which has traditionally done for East African runners what Force flakes have done for Sunny Jim.

Farah reaped his reward when his times moved down significantly, and he won 5,000 metre silver at the 2006 European Championships. But when he failed to reach the Olympic 5,000m final at the Beijing Games three years ago it was a profound shock to his career.


"I was really disappointed," he recalled this week. "I was more down than I have ever been in my career. Because the Olympics are what you train for, and they only come round every four years. But maybe it was a good thing, because it opened my eyes to what I had to do."

There followed a strong recovery, as he regained the European indoor 3,000m title in 2009 and, last year, secured the European 5,000m and 10,000m titles in Barcelona before rounding off his season by becoming the first Briton to beat 13 minutes for the shorter distance, recording 12min 57.94sec at the Samsung Diamond League meeting in Zurich.

When the next Olympics arrive in London next year, this outstanding athlete is confident that he will be in a better position than he has ever been to make the most of the opportunity, having put himself back into gear following his Beijing experience and embarked upon yet another adventure by moving to Portland, Oregon in order to train with the US marathon-running legend Alberto Salazar.

Farah now rents a property just outside Portland with his wife, Tania, and six-year-old daughter, Rihanna, both of whom moved across the Atlantic to join him, and he trains at Nike's purpose-built distance running facility, with occasional trips to Utah to undertake altitude work.

"It wasn't easy making that decision, leaving everything behind," he said. "I could have been happy at home, sitting in my house with a few European medals.

"But you have to say: 'How can I improve? What can I do next?' You can't allow yourself to feel comfortable and just think everything is going to be all right.

"Over the last five months, a lot has changed. But we're settling in well. My daughter's making more friends than I am."

That last statement is questionable - particularly after Farah's performance in the Eugene Diamond League meeting last month, where, in only his third 10,000 metre race, he set a European record of 26:46.57.

So he is now looking at London 2012 with serious ambition - and before it, the impending challenge of this year's IAAF World Championships in Daegu.


"I've never been this confident in my life," he said. "I'm really actually enjoying it big-time now."

The influence of Salazar, who won three consecutive New York marathons from 1980-1982, is tangible. It was in 2007 that Farah met Salazar - who, like him, made a big decision to leave his native country to further his athletic career, leaving Cuba for the United States.

Since then, the Briton has been impressed by the performances Salazar has coaxed from athletes such as Kara Goucher, a world 10,000m bronze medallist.

"I always got on well with Alberto, and liked what he had to say about training," said Farah.

"Having him there is amazing. He gives you confidence. He makes you believe that you are one of the best in the world. All coaches tell you that, but with Alberto, it's different. He's been there, he knows everything."

While Farah's mileage remains much the same, he is spending more time in the gym lifting weights, and also in the pool, as hydro work to avoid stress injuries is a big part of the Salazar approach.

Farah, who has a three-year visa for the States, will return to Britain to compete in this summer's Aviva Series, which includes Diamond League meetings in Birmingham and London as well as the UK trials.

These will offer him a chance to measure himself against the best in the world: Tariku Bekele and Imane Merga of Ethiopia as well as the double Commonwealth champion, Moses Kipsiro of Uganda

On the subject of the forthcoming Worlds, Farah is unlikely to attempt the double he pulled off at last year's Europeans. "I think I will be concentrating on one event in Daegu, and that is almost certainly going to be the 5,000," he said.

But whether he picks the 5,000 or the 10,000 or both, there will be no easy rides in either the World Championships or the Olympics.

"Whichever event I do it's not going to be easy," he said. "But that's what it's all about. I'm looking to cover all the angles - so if it's about speed, or if it's about endurance, I can handle it."

Nobody can cover all the angles. But you have to give Farah credit for trying harder than most.

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, has covered the last five Summer and four Winter Olympics for The Independent. Previously he has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, the Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. He is now chief feature writer for insidethegames. Rowbottom's Twitter feed can be accessed here.