Olympics:Britain's Mo Farah won his second gold medal of London 2012 with a thrilling victory in the 5,000 metres on the final night of athletics action at the Olympic Stadium to complete the long-distance double.
Seven days after claiming gold in the 10,000m, Farah produced another brilliant performance to complete one the greatest achievement in distance running.
Roared on by a capacity 80,000-strong crowd, Farah hit the front with 700m remaining and was never headed, covering the last lap in under 53 seconds to hold off Ethiopia’s Dejen Gebremeskel to win in 13 minutes and 41.66 seconds. Thomas Longosiwa of Kenya claimed bronze.
Just five men in Olympic history had previously taken the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the same Games
Emil Zatopek of the old Czechoslovakia in 1952, Vladimir Kuts of the USSR in 1956, Finland’s Lasse Viren in 1972 and 1976, Miruts Yifter of Ethiopia in 1980 and Kenenisa Bekele, also of Ethiopia, at Beijing four years ago.
Farah’s victory also meant Britain have won four track and field golds for only the third time since the Second World War, matching the haul from Tokyo in 1964 and Moscow in 1980.
Russian Mariya Savinova added Olympic gold to her world crown when she timed her run to perfection to secure an impressive 800 metres victory.
Savinova, the European woman Athlete of 2011, did not panic when defending champion Pamela Jelimo of Kenya kicked three metres clear down the back straight on the final lap.
Jelimo paid for going to soon and Savinova, 26, took over to storm to gold in one minute 56.19.
South African Caster Semenya, the 2009 world champion whose emphatic victory in Berlin raised questions about her gender, made up late ground to win silver in 1:57.23.
Russian Ekaterina Poistogova clocked 1:57.53 for bronze. Jelimo faded out of the medals and was fourth.