Four years after edging out American Galen Rupp for gold in the men’s 10,000 meters, Great Britain’s Mo Farah returned to the Olympics with hopes of becoming the third straight repeat gold medalist in the event. Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie took gold in 1996 and 2000, with fellow Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele winning the 10,000 in 2004 and 2008.
Farah managed to join those two in winning a second consecutive gold medal in the event, winning in 27:05.17. Farah collided with another runner and fell early in the race, an occurrence that would long-lasting effects on some runners even with the 10,000 meters being as long of a race as it is.