Mo Farah 'sick' of doping allegations

[July 10, 2017]  (Reuters) - British Olympic champion Mo Farah is "sick" of his name being dragged into doping controversies, the 34-year-old said after winning the 3,000 meters at the Anniversary Games in London on Sunday.

Russian hackers leaked documents last week showing Farah was suspected of doping in 2015 before being cleared by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 2016, British media reported.

"I am sick of repeating myself and you guys just making something out of nothing," Farah told reporters on Sunday.

"I work hard at what I do and I just carry on enjoying what I do, and it comes as a little distraction...

"I said I will never fail a drugs test. That is who I am. I believe in clean sports and I just have to enjoy what I do, keep smiling. And let you guys do what you do.

"There's no secrets to what I do. My life is not as easy as people think, it is hard work. I wish you guys would understand it a bit more and write down the facts. I do what I do, keep smiling. I love you all."

Farah has fielded doping allegations repeatedly and the issue re-appeared in April after a doctor said that he injected a legal dose of a controversial substance prior to the 2014 London Marathon but it was not adequately recorded.

Great Britain's Mo Farah celebrates winning the Men's 3000m Action Images via Reuters/Henry Browne

The long-distance runner said he would not be racing in the 1,500m event in Monaco and will instead go to an altitude training camp in Font Romeu, France to prepare for next month's world championships.

"The preparation is going well – I'm grafting and continuing to tick boxes," Farah said.

"Initially I was going to try and fit a 1500m race in between now and the World Championships, but this is my last race now.

"I'm going to Font Romeu tomorrow. I'll just knuckle down."

Farah had previously announced his plans of retiring from track events and focusing on marathons after the World Championships.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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