Olympic heroes bid stadium a fond farewell

Mo Farah had the Olympic Stadium in raptures for one last time as he scorched his way to 3,000m victory in the Anniversary Games.

It was a lifetime best at the distance for Farah, who smashed Steve Cram’s 28-year-old British 1500m record last week.

He just couldn’t quite do the same to David Moorcroft’s 31-year-old 3,000m time but he spreadeagled a top class field, winning by 50m.

“This is where I love to run,” he said. “This is where I made my name. Each time I race I want to make my country proud.”

This was a routine Diamond League meeting dressed up as a chance to recapture the feelgood factor of the Olympics, 12 months on from Danny Boyle’s magical Isles of Wonder ceremony.

For the second day running it attracted a 60,000-plus crowd into the Olympic Stadium for one last hurrah before it’s converted into West Ham’s new home.

Organisers were out to recapture the flavour of Super Saturday, when Jessica Ennis, Farah and Greg Rutherford won a hat trick of golds in less than 60 minutes.

For Jess, now Ennis-Hill after her wedding, the Anniversary Games were a glorified fitness test.

The Olympic Poster Girl hasn’t competed in a major event since she won gold last August because of an Achilles injury.

She entered the 100m hurdles and long jump to assess if she will be fit compete in the heptathlon at World Championships in Moscow next month.

With reigning World and Olympic Champion Sally Pearson of Australia in the hurdles line-up, an Ennis victory was never on.

It was about not aggravating the injury and she came through unscathed in a creditable fourth place behind Pearson.

She said: “This was very nerve-racking. It was my first race back and I couldn’t prepare as well as I wanted.

“I was disappointed with my time. I’m lacking speed work at the moment having just started training this week.”

It was another modest performance to finish last in the long jump won by her young British heptathlon rival Katarina Johnson-Thompson but she again emerged unscathed.

She will only travel to Russia if she believes she has a realistic chance of gold and will make that decision over the next few days.

There was an impressive victory for Christine Ohuruogu in the 400m. Fittingly, world superstar Usain Bolt ran the final few yards of athletics that will be seen in this stadium in its current guise.

He led his Jamaican Racers Track Club team to victory in the 4x100m relay in which GB’s A Team failed to finish.

He said after: “It’s magnificent to be here. It feels just like the Olympics. The energy is incredible.

“I can’t believe it. It’s beautiful here and I can’t explain what it gives you as an athlete.

“This is just an extremely great stadium.”