Mahamed could be faster than Mo, says former coach

The childhood coach of Southampton runner Mahamed Mahamed, says he could beat Sir Mo Farah's British marathon record in the future.

Mahamed, 28, was the first British finisher at the London Marathon, in a time of two hours six minutes 14 seconds and in 10th place.

Peter Haynes, who coached him as a teenager, recalled thinking "'wow - this lad's got something" when he first saw him run.

Mahamed beat Farah's previous record time on Sunday to become the fastest ever British finisher in the race.

Farah still holds the British marathon record, which he set at the Chicago Marathon in 2018, with a time of two hours five minutes 11 seconds.

As a youngster, Mahamed attended Glenfield School in Southampton after moving to the UK from Ethiopia.

Teachers there spotted his potential and he was sent along to Southampton Athletic Club.

Haynes recalled how he was initially put into the sprinters' group but coaches saw his potential as an endurance athlete.

He said he had the right attitude from the start: "He came to training with me twice a week, he entered all the competitions and gradually worked his way through from Hampshire competitions all the way through to British, European and World cross country.

"He's just worked very hard and it's been a long road, but I'm just so, so proud of him."

At 28, Haynes said Mahamed has a bright future, with marathon runners tending to peak between the ages of 29-31.

"I think he can get a little bit faster.

"At the moment he's the second fastest Brit ever over the marathon distance and the only person in front of him is Mo Farah....so I think it's doable over the next two to three years."

Sunday's London Marathon saw two runners achieve a sub-two-hour marathon for the first time in a competitive race.

Thirty-one-year-old Kenyan Sabastian Sawe crossed the line in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds to set a new world record.

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha became the second man to run under two hours in race conditions, finishing runner-up in 1:59:41.

Haynes said it was brilliant for Mahamed to be there on such an historic day.

The coach compared it to when Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute-mile in 1954.

"Mahamed can say 'I was there that day - I ran that day'," he added.