Mo Farah wants to be known as "Mohamed" when he starts "the next chapter of his career," according to the London GUARDIAN. The 34-year-old claimed a silver medal in his last track championship race in London, finishing behind Ethiopia’s Muktar Edris in the 5,000m on Saturday. Farah is "now switching his focus to road racing and wants it to be a fresh start," with the four-time world champion ditching "Mo" to become known as "Mohamed." Farah: "My road name is Mohamed. I just feel like Mo is done. I need to forget about what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done." The decision to rebrand follows a "stormy end to his glittering track racing career" in which he accused sections of the media of trying to "destroy" his achievements on the track with "unfounded allegations against his coach Alberto Salazar and insinuations about how he attained his success" (GUARDIAN, 8/14).
'ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE': The BBC's Katie Wright wrote what is "in a name?" Farah is "about to find out." Public relations consultant Richard Fitzwilliams said that he is "very surprised" by the announcement. Fitzwilliams said, "Everyone loves him as Mo. You would perhaps write Mohamed if you were asked to. But Mo -- it's shorter and it's also the way he became world famous, and it's how he has run his way into our hearts and minds. So (a change) is almost impossible." But Alliance PR Managing Dir Rebecca May said that "it is possible to change your name" and "rebrand." She said, "Mohamed is not a name change, as such, he just wishes to be known now by his full name, not nickname. These intentions appear to reflect Mohamed's next sporting chapter and new career direction. It is the next evolution to his brand. Part of that next step is rebranding. Well thought-out and with the right intentions, I would fully support a client under the same circumstances" (BBC, 8/14).
