Birmingham, United Kingdom--Mo Farah's stepdown for a speed tuning 1500m at Sunday's Diamond League meet in Birmingham has been overshadowed by allegations that his renowned coach encouraged doping.
What should have been a celebration of three British athletes who made it 'super Saturday' at the London Olympics -- Farah, long jumper Greg Rutherford and heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill -- has been overshadowed by the hard-hitting allegations against Alberto Salazar.
In a documentary screened by the BBC on Wednesday, Salazar is alleged to have encouraged athletes in his care to take banned substances, notably Olympic silver medallist Galen Rupp, the USA's national 10,000 metres record-holder, in 2002.
Salazar also coaches double Olympic, world and European champion Farah in his Nike running camp in Portland, Oregon.
Both Salazar, an athletics great who won three successive New York marathons, and Rupp deny any wrongdoing, while there is no suggestion that Farah has broken doping rules. Indeed, none of the Nike Oregon Project's athletes has ever failed a drug test.
Farah, who set the season's fastest time over 10,000m in Eugene last week, told the BBC: "I have not taken any banned substances and Alberto has never suggested that I take a banned substance."
The 32-year-old Farah has worked with Salazar since 2011, while Rupp, who took silver behind his training partner in the 10,000 metres at the 2012 Olympics, has been a member of Salazar's stable for 14 years.
In Birmingham, Farah will step down to run his first 1500m since setting a European record of 3:28.81 in Monaco in 2013, with Kenya-born American veteran Bernard Lagat also in the field.
AFP
