Gamble pays off for Farah as he maintains his unbeaten record

Despite winning the long-distance double at last year’s European Championships in Barcelona, Farah felt he needed to make a drastic change to be able to challenge for medals in the World Championships and Olympics.

That meant moving, with his wife and young daughter, to Portland, Oregon to be coached by Alberto Salazar, but what could have been a massive gamble has paid immediate dividends, with Farah retaining his 3,000m indoor title, winning the New York Half Marathon on his debut over the distance and last month smashing the British and European 10,000m records.

And the Somalia-born 28-year-old yesterday again got the better of training partner Galen Rupp at the Alexander Stadium, producing a devastating last lap of 54 seconds to win in a time of 13 mins 6.14 seconds.

“People said why change when things are going well and it has not been easy making the change, but as an athlete if you want success you have to make sacrifices,” said Farah.

“I’m a lot more confident and I’m looking forward to the World Championships in Daegu. Running a paced race here and running a championships are completely different, but if I can stay injury-free and keep enjoying it that’s the main thing.”

Farah and Jamaica’s Asafa Powell were the star attractions at the ninth Diamond League meeting of the season, and Powell also did not disappoint with victory in the 100m.

Powell had insisted he was the man to beat this year and not third best behind fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt and American Tyson Gay, and the 28-year-old lived up to the hype with victory in 9.91secs, leading home compatriots Nesta Carter and Michael Frater.

“I was a bit cautious in the final with all the false starts and it was cold out there so I didn’t push it from the start,” admitted Powell, who has now run under 10 seconds more than 70 times. “But it was okay, I’m fine with that.

“We all want to get the best start but when there’s false starts it puts you in a different zone. I was only going to do enough to win. I didn’t want to push too hard. I just wanted to get the win.

“At the Worlds I’m definitely going to win. I’m going for it and I’ll try not to disappoint.”

Veteran Marlon Devonish was sixth in 10.25secs, while fellow Britons Harry Aikines-Aryeetey, Craig Pickering and Mark Lewis-Francis failed to qualify for the final.

There was better news for the home crowd in the 400m hurdles, however, as Dai Greene produced another impressive performance.

The European and Commonwealth champion held off former world champion Bershawn Jackson on the line to win in 48.20secs, his second Diamond League victory in quick succession, with 1 9-year-old team-mate Jack Green setting a new personal best of 48.98 in fourth.

“The weather conditions were miserable but I’m happy to have beaten Bershawn because I know he will be there in the World Championship final,” the 25-year-old Welshman said.

“I’m very pleased with how I kept my form. It’s the first time I’ve been in that situation, being chased to the line.

“After (yesterday) and Lausanne the guys will be looking to me as someone to beat.

“They might have seen me winning the Europeans and Commonwealths but would not have taken much notice, but winning Diamond League meetings is different.”

The poor weather hampered Greene’s chances of breaking Kriss Akabusi’s British record of 47.82secs – set when winning bronze in the 1992 Olympics – and Greene said: “When it’s cold like this it’s hard to be running fast times but 48.2 is pretty quick. I think Kriss Akabusi keeps sending me bad weather though.”

Phillips Idowu was another British winner, the World and European champion easily winning the triple jump with a best of 17.54m in the third round. But the much-anticipated clash between Idowu and French rival Teddy Tamgho – the indoor world record holder – proved to be something of a damp squib, Tamgho finishing a distant fifth with a best of just 16.74m.

“It’s important to get that psychological victory,” said Idowu. “It’s 2-1 to me now in head-to-heads this year.”

Holly Bleasdale had to settle for second in the pole vault, but the 19-year-old could still be pleased with a best of 4.61m behind Germany’s Silke Spiegelburg (4.66m).

Bleasdale set a new British record of 4.70m last weekend, a vault which has suddenly elevated the Lancashire teenager to world-class competition.

In the women’s 800m, Jenny Meadows allowed British team-mate Marilyn Okoro to set the pace before hitting the front with 100m to go and holding on to win in 2:02.06.

“I usually run from the front but it was important that I ran a different race to practise tactics and I am relieved to get the win,” said Meadows, who won bronze at the last World Championships in 2009.

“It’s a strange event this year, there is no dominant No 1 and with seven weeks to go to the Worlds it’s all to play for.”