When I heard that a boy from my primary school had been convicted of trafficking, I had to find out what had happened to make him fall so far.

By Francisco Garcia

In the first of a series of interviews with remarkable Olympians, Britain’s most celebrated track athlete opens up about his relentless spirit, his disgraced ex-coach and the terrible secret he kept for 30 years

Twelve years on, it still gives you goose bumps – probably the greatest achievement in British Olympic history, accompanied by the greatest commentary. “Mo Farah gritting his teeth now, the arms have got to pump, the knees have got to come up high,” shouts Steve Cram from the commentary box, trying to make himself heard above the stadium din. He stands up, punching the air, willing Farah home. “He’s got to find something extra. He’s got to kick on. Come on Mo Farah. He’s going to get there. Mo Farah’s going to make it two golds on the run for Great Britain. Beautiful. The place erupts. He’s a double Olympic champion.”

This was, of course, London 2012. A week earlier, on 4 August, Farah had become the first Briton to win the 10,000m. Now, the refugee from Somaliland had become the first Briton to do the long-distance double – 5,000m and 10,000m. What’s more, he had done it at the same Olympics. Astonishingly, he did the same again four years later in Rio, a record equalled only by Finland’s Lasse Virén. Both Cram and Brendan Foster, who was commentating alongside him in 2012, have called Farah Britain’s greatest athlete, although for some he is a controversial figure. It’s a remarkable story. And we didn’t know the half of it back then.