Mo Ahmed: 'I gave the race' to Mo Farah
Canadian vows to improve after tactical error in legendary distance runner's final track event

A fresh-looking Mo Ahmed darts to the front of the pack and appears in control just past the halfway mark of the men's 5,000 metres in Zurich. The Canadian can taste victory as he holds off Mo Farah, seeking to steal the spotlight from the legendary distance runner in the latter's final track race.
They take turns at the front, with Ahmed looking back at Farah after 4,200 metres as the 10-time global champion sat on his shoulder.
A great tactician, Farah surges with 600 metres remaining, takes the lead at the bell lap and fights off a furious push from American Paul Chelimo and 2017 world champion Muktar Edris in the final metres to win the Diamond League Trophy to go with his four Olympic gold medals and six world titles.
"I look back at the video where my body and torso were, my hands and arms, and you can tell I'm kind of fighting my forward momentum," Ahmed said over the phone earlier this week from his Phoenix residence.
The Somalia-born, St. Catharines, Ont.-raised runner finished sixth that Aug. 24 evening at Letzigrund Stadium, but was later awarded fifth following Chelimo's disqualification for pushing Farah and Edris across the finish line.
"Tactically, I wasn't savvy at all, and stupid in a lot of ways," Ahmed recalled. "I'm leading the race and I think I could have pushed. I kind of hesitated. We went through the 3,000 [metre mark] at 7:51 and I was with the rabbits [pace-setters] and the other guys were right on me.
"I could have said, 'Be brave, attack the race and run as hard as you can four or five laps out.' I just let the race go and pace go, and made it slow. I gave [the race] to the other guys.
"I'm probably better off at a long-drawn-out kick. It's one of those things I'm still focusing on and learning."
At the Boston University Last Chance Meet in February, Ahmed squeezed through the gaps of the opposition over the final 600 metres to crush the indoor Canadian record in the 5,000 in 13 minutes 4.60 seconds. In early July, he also displayed a devastating finishing kick in defending his Canadian championship at Ottawa.