Gb’s Greatest Ever Distance Runner Celebrated At Bt Sport Industry Awards
Sir Mo Farah was presented with the Coutts Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award by fellow knight of the realm and Olympic legend, Sir Ben Ainslie, at the BT Sport Industry Awards 2018 on Thursday evening.
The Coutts Outstanding Contribution to Sport Award recognises an individual, team or organisation whose actions have had a major impact on the sporting world. Previous recipients of the esteemed trophy include the likes of Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, the Murray family, Sir AP McCoy and Sir Alex Ferguson.
After the unforgettable London 2012 Olympic Games, Farah followed up the historic Olympic ‘double-double’, defending his 5,000m and 10,000m titles at Rio 2016, before signing off from major track events with gold at the London 2017 World Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium, where he made history five years earlier.
A far cry from humble beginnings in Somalia, arriving in London from Mogadishu at the age of eight, Mo’s achievements now include four Olympic gold medals, six World Championship gold medals and five European Championship gold medals, including major titles in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.
Britain’s most successful Olympic track athlete in the modern era has now turned his attention to marathon distance, breaking the long-standing British record in the London Marathon on Sunday.
The 35-year-old, who famously dedicated each of his four Olympic gold medals to each of his four children, said of the award: “It’s a real honour to be receiving the Outstanding Contribution Sport Award here this evening. I’m delighted to be here, standing here in front of so many other amazing athletes, too. We all know that success is really about the hard graft and the sacrifices behind the scenes – and it means a lot for that hard work to be recognised here tonight. I hope that this award, and tonight’s event will also inspire the next generations of athletes, too.”
The BT Sport Industry Awards are the largest commercial sports awards in the world, and took place at Battersea Evolution in London, on Thursday 26th April 2018. Bringing together sports stars, celebrities, senior decision makers, influencers and global media, the industry’s most anticipated night of the year celebrated the very best work from across the sector.
The famous trophies were awarded on-stage in front of a sell-out crowd of 1,700 guests at the star-studded event, held annually in London.
BT is headline partner of the BT Sport Industry Awards. Coutts, Dow Jones Sports Intelligence, EY and Sela Sport are official partners. Find out more about the BT Sport Industry Awards at sig-staging.ypstagingserver.com/awards
