A Sunday, Aug. 17, 2014 file photo showing Britain's Mo Farah as he celebrates winning the gold medal in the men's 5,000m final during the European Athletics Championships. Photo / AP.
Mo Farah has issued an impassioned denial that he has ever taken performance-enhancing drugs, insisting that the last two weeks have been "the toughest of my life" and claiming his coach Alberto Salazar has been falsely accused of doping offences.
The double Olympic champion, responding for the first time to the revelation that he missed two drug tests in the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics, said they were "simple mistakes".
Farah has barely trained since Salazar was the subject of doping allegations made by Panorama and is desperate to resume preparations for the World Championships later this summer.
He had been due to train on Friday morning at a high-altitude facility at Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees, but left without even getting out of his car after being met by BBC television cameras.
Farah, who is staying at an apartment nearby, issued his statement a few hours later. "I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs in my life and I never will," he stated. "Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative.
"I've fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes."
It is 21/2 weeks since Farah was unwittingly dragged into a drugs scandal when Salazar was accused of numerous offences, notably that he plied Galen Rupp, the Olympic 10,000?metres silver medallist, with testosterone when the athlete was just 16. Salazar and Rupp deny the allegations.
In an unrelated episode it was then revealed this week that Farah had missed two random drugs tests in the build-up to London 2012, which put his place at the home Olympics in serious jeopardy.
Following a first missed test in early 2010, he failed to take a second test at his then home the following year in Teddington, London, putting him just one more missed test away from a ban under World Anti-Doping Agency 'whereabouts' regulations.
On the second occasion UK Anti-Doping found Farah was guilty of "negligence" rather than the more serious offence of evasion after accepting his explanation that he failed to hear the doorbell of his three-bed house while in his bedroom. That ruling came despite anti-doping officials revealing the doorbell would have been rung up to seven times during the visit.
While Farah has never been accused of taking an illegal substance, the events of the past few weeks - during which Farah said his name had been "dragged through the mud" - have prompted him to take action to maintain his reputation as one of Britain's star athletes.
On Thursday, he hired the Freud's public relations agency - self-appointed "experts in crisis" - with a brief to handle his media affairs, starting with an emphatic protestation of innocence.
Friday's statement also addressed the doping allegations that have been hanging over Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project since the broadcast of a BBC Panorama documentary on June 3.
Farah has not joined up with his training partners since Salazar was accused of multiple doping violations, including encouraging his athletes to take prescription drugs that they did not need and manipulating the therapeutic use exemption system that allows runners to use restricted medical treatments.
Farah withdrew from the Birmingham Grand Prix almost two weeks ago, insisting he would grill Salazar on the allegations before he committed his long-term future to the coach - something he insists he has now done.
"As I made clear, I went to Portland to speak to Alberto Salazar and demand answers," said Farah. "He reassured me that the claims are false and that he will soon be providing evidence to make that clear.
"Until then I will not be commenting further on the allegations."
The fact that Farah has now issued such a strong public statement will heap pressure on Salazar to finally break his silence over the claims.
Aside from a short statement in the initial wake of the allegations, the American has not spoken publicly to refute them. Instead he is gathering as much evidence as possible, which he insists will clear his name.
Despite repeated suggestions that a statement from Salazar was imminent over the past two weeks, The Daily Telegraph understands he is unlikely to speak until later next week.
Farah left his Portland home earlier this week to base himself at the training centre in France before his next competitive outing at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on July 17.
Barry Fudge, British Athletics' head of endurance, is in Font-Romeu personally overseeing Farah's training regime while he is based in Europe.
Farah added: "The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false.
"The impact this has had on my family and friends has left me angry, frustrated and upset.
"In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is five-months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I'm away training for some important races."
The double Olympic champion, responding for the first time to the revelation that he missed two drug tests in the build-up to the 2012 London Olympics, said they were "simple mistakes".
Farah has barely trained since Salazar was the subject of doping allegations made by Panorama and is desperate to resume preparations for the World Championships later this summer.
He had been due to train on Friday morning at a high-altitude facility at Font-Romeu in the Pyrenees, but left without even getting out of his car after being met by BBC television cameras.
Farah, who is staying at an apartment nearby, issued his statement a few hours later. "I have never taken performance-enhancing drugs in my life and I never will," he stated.
"Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative.
"I've fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes."
It is 21/2 weeks since Farah was unwittingly dragged into a drugs scandal when Salazar was accused of numerous offences, notably that he plied Galen Rupp, the Olympic 10,000 metres silver medallist, with testosterone when the athlete was just 16. Salazar and Rupp deny the allegations.
In an unrelated episode it was then revealed this week that Farah had missed two random drugs tests in the build-up to London 2012, which put his place at the home Olympics in serious jeopardy.
Following a first missed test in early 2010, he failed to take a second test at his then home the following year in Teddington, London, putting him just one more missed test away from a ban under World Anti-Doping Agency 'whereabouts' regulations.
On the second occasion UK Anti-Doping found Farah was guilty of "negligence" rather than the more serious offence of evasion after accepting his explanation that he failed to hear the doorbell of his three-bed house while in his bedroom. That ruling came despite anti-doping officials revealing the doorbell would have been rung up to seven times during the visit.
While Farah has never been accused of taking an illegal substance, the events of the past few weeks - during which Farah said his name had been "dragged through the mud" - have prompted him to take action to maintain his reputation as one of Britain's star athletes.
On Thursday, he hired the Freud's public relations agency - self-appointed "experts in crisis" - with a brief to handle his media affairs, starting with an emphatic protestation of innocence.
Friday's statement also addressed the doping allegations that have been hanging over Salazar and the Nike Oregon Project since the broadcast of a BBC Panorama documentary on June 3.
Farah has not joined up with his training partners since Salazar was accused of multiple doping violations, including encouraging his athletes to take prescription drugs that they did not need and manipulating the therapeutic use exemption system that allows runners to use restricted medical treatments.
Farah withdrew from the Birmingham Grand Prix almost two weeks ago, insisting he would grill Salazar on the allegations before he committed his long-term future to the coach - something he insists he has now done.
"As I made clear, I went to Portland to speak to Alberto Salazar and demand answers," said Farah. "He reassured me that the claims are false and that he will soon be providing evidence to make that clear.
"Until then I will not be commenting further on the allegations."
The fact that Farah has now issued such a strong public statement will heap pressure on Salazar to finally break his silence over the claims.
Aside from a short statement in the initial wake of the allegations, the American has not spoken publicly to refute them. Instead he is gathering as much evidence as possible, which he insists will clear his name.
Despite repeated suggestions that a statement from Salazar was imminent over the past two weeks, The Daily Telegraph understands he is unlikely to speak until later next week.
Farah left his Portland home earlier this week to base himself at the training centre in France before his next competitive outing at the Monaco Diamond League meeting on July 17.
Barry Fudge, British Athletics' head of endurance, is in Font-Romeu personally overseeing Farah's training regime while he is based in Europe.
Farah added: "The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false.
"The impact this has had on my family and friends has left me angry, frustrated and upset.
"In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is five-months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I'm away training for some important races."
The Kiwi athlete broke the NZ and Oceania 100m record with a time of 10.94 seconds.