Double Olympic, world and European track champion pulls out of meeting due to illness

Mo Farah is to miss the Great Edinburgh Cross Country meeting on January 10 because of illness.

The double Olympic, world and European track champion explained how he has recently had to take time out of training with the flu.

“Unfortunately I have to cancel my participation in the Great Edinburgh Cross Country as I had the flu over the Christmas and New Year period and had to take some days off training,” commented Farah.

“My main goal for 2015 is the IAAF World Championships in Beijing and I will keep training hard to defend my 5000m and 10,000m titles.”

Farah had been due to compete as part of the Great Britain team which will face teams from the USA and Europe at Holyrood Park.

Euro Cross champion Gemma Steel, who is the defending senior women’s champion, is among those on the GB team, as is under-23 champion in Samokov Rhona Auckland and under-23 men’s team silver medallists Jonathan Davies, Will Gray, Callum Hawkins, Jonny Hay and Charlie Hulson.

As well as the team events, an international 4km will also be contested with Asbel Kiprop, Japhet Korir and Bernard Lagat set to be among those joining defending champion Garrett Heath in Scotland.

» See the January 8 edition of AW magazine, available digitally from Wednesday January 7, for a Great Edinburgh Cross Country preview