Mo Farah puts himself forward for selection in Edinburgh race

Mo Farah has put himself forward for selection. Picture; John Devlin

DOWNLOAD THE EDINBURGH EVENING NEWS APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY

The double-double Olympic champion, finished second to Garrett Heath in the 2016 event in Holyrood Park prior to successfully defending his 10,000m and 5,000m titles in the Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro.

The reigning world champion over 10,000m and 5,000m intends to warm up for London 2017 with an appearance in Edinburgh on January 7, with British Athletics finalising their team after the European Cross Country Championships in Chia on December 11.

Mo Farah competing in Glasgow. Picture; John Devlin

The 33-year-old said: “Cross country events offer a perfect opportunity for me to measure my fitness and see how my training is going ahead of the 2017 track season. I have made myself available for selection for the British team for this event.

“I placed second in this race last year and hope to go one better in 2017.”

The Great Edinburgh International XCountry consists of four separate events and pits the best of Team GB and NI against Europe and the USA.

Athletes compete across four races; the junior men’s 6km, the junior women’s 4km, senior men’s 8km and senior women’s 6km, with the overall winning team determined by the best aggregate finishing positions of the six best placed athletes in the senior category, as well as the four best placed athletes in the junior races.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Festivals & Events Champion for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s great that Mo Farah has made himself available to run in Edinburgh again at the start of 2017. I’m sure we can expect huge crowds for the Great Edinburgh International XCountry if Britain’s double Olympic Champion is returning to take part. This is a free event for spectators, a great day out in Holyrood Park, and one not to miss!”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events, said: “Mo Farah is one of Great Britain’s all-time sporting greats, so we are delighted that he is keen to take part in the Great Edinburgh International XCountry, an event supported through EventScotland’s International Programme, for the second time in as many years.

“Scotland is the Perfect Stage for sporting events, attracting many of the world’s finest athletes to compete in our outstanding built facilities and over our natural landscapes, and we would love to welcome Mo back to Edinburgh again in 2017.”

The Great Edinburgh International XCountry will be televised live on BBC from 13:15 on BBC One and is part of a New Year festival for runners of all abilities held in Holyrood Park, next to the Scottish Parliament.

The popular Great Winter Run, held on a scenic 5km course that loops around Arthur’s Seat, provides the public with a perfect opportunity to dust off the New Year cobwebs before watching the world’s best test themselves in the international cross country races.

Entry to the Great Winter Run is available online at greatrun.org/winter