Mo Farah Hoping For Historic Win On London's Penultimate Night In The Spotlight

The host nation has put on a great show over the last couple of weeks and have matched that with excellent performances around the various Olympic venues. On the penultimate day of Olympic action team GB have already sealed one gold medal thanks to trainee accountant Ed McKeever in the K1 200 metre canoe sprint.  18-year-old diver Tom Daley has qualified for tonight's 10 metre platform final after finishing in fourth in the semi-final. Despite only reaching the semi-finals by the skin of his teeth, a much improved effort this morning will give him high medal hopes. Boxer Luke Campbell faces Irishman John Joe Nevin in the ExCel Arena in the men's bantamweight gold medal bout at 20:45. 

So with gold medal chances aplenty around London Great Britain will be hopeful of ending these historic Games with a good weekend. Tonight will be the last session of athletics competition and all eyes will be on Somalian-born Brit Mo Farah as he looks to complete the long-distance double of 10,000 and 5,000 metres. He has had a golden three years with three European golds, a world championship gold and last Saturday's thrilling 10,000 metres win. 

Four years ago Britain's first ever long-distance Olympic winner failed to even qualify for the 5,000 metre final but this time around he is one of the favourites to win it. In Barcelona in 2010 the runner won his first ever major titles as he became the first man in 66 years to win the European long-distance track double. This sparked a turn-around as he went from middle of the pack battler to front-runner. He went to Daegu last summer as the favourite for the 10,000 metres but made his move a fraction too early and was overhauled by Ethiopian Ibahim Jelian as he was made to settle for silver in his favoured event. He came back brilliantly in the 5,000 though as he beat Bernard Lagat to win gold. In aftermath of the race Dave Moorcroft, former 5,000 metre world record holder, hailed him 'Britain's greatest male long-distance runner.'

Tonight Mohamed Farah could write himself a place in British sporting annals as he tries to do what no Briton has ever accomplished before; the 5,000 and 10,000 metre Olympic double. He is aiming to join an elite group of only five men that includes his rival, the great Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele. Moorcroft thinks that Farah is on the cusp of history: “His place is assured as the greatest British male endurance runner but if he was to do it, you couldn’t think of a greater achievement by any British athlete. He stands on the edge of absolute greatness.”

Comments like this only show the magnitude facing one of London's favourite sons and there are many excellent runners who will be out to stop him. His training partner, American Galen Rupp, took silver last Saturday and will be hoping to go one better this time around while the great nations of long-distance running, the Kenyans and Ethiopians, will be out in force to stop Farah tonight. Dejen Gebremeskel and Yenew Alamirew of Ethiopia were the two fastest qualifiers while Farah finished third in his heat behind Kenyan Isiah Kiplangat Koech and Hayle Ibrahimov of Azerbaijan. 

By his own admission Britain's best was tired after that run but after two days rest he should be revitalised and ready for the final. Even when tiredness does kick in he always seems to be able to kick on when it is needed most and the 80,000 strong crowd will be right behind him when push comes to shove. 

GB Take Unprecedented Three Athletics Golds On Glorious Olympic Night

Super Saturday was back and improved at the Olympic Games as Team GB claimed six magnificent gold medals on day eight in London. The wins came from three different sports, one in cycling, two in rowing and an unbelievable three in the Olympic Stadium. The men's four and Sophie Hosking and Katherine Copeland in the lightweight double sculls won on the water at Eton Dorney before the women's team pursuit added gold number four for Team GB in the velodrome. However what was to come late into the night at the Olympic Stadium was surely not predicted.

The Games's poster girl Jessica Ennis stormed the women's heptathlon to win by over 300 points ahead of her rival, Russia's Tatyana Chernova. The Sheffield girl started off in the morning with an impressive six metres 48 centi-metres in the long jump before breaking her javelin personal best with 47.49 in what was supposed to be her weakest event. That gave her a comfortable lead of 188 points going into the 800 metres and she finished the job in style by winning the last event in 2.06.85 to win with a tally of 6,955 points; a British and Commonwealth record. An emotional Ennis lifted her arms in celebration when she crossed the line, appearing unsure whether to laugh or cry. Lilli Schwarzkopf of Germany was left 306 points behind in silver while Chernova took bronze.

Twenty minutes later and another British athletics gold was sealed and this time it was on the field thanks to a domineering performance by Greg Rutherford. The 25-year-old jumped the longest two efforts of any athlete in the final, winning by 15 centi-metres with a fourth round jump of 8 metres 31. This was just four centi-metres short of his British record of 8.35 which he shares with Chris Tomlinson who finished sixth. After his final leap he pointed to the sky and appeared in shock after sealing his first ever major championship medal. His gold-medal-winning moment sealed a fifth victory of the day for the home nation, the most for a British team in an Olympic Games since 1908 in London. Rutherford's win also ensured that Team GB had beaten their gold medal tally for athletics from Beijing when Ohuruogu was the only British champion and was the first win for Britain in the men's long jump since Lynn Davies back in 1964. He said that 'he would never be bored of hearing' that he is Olympic champion and said: "I thought that I would jump further than that but who cares, I'm Olympic champion. I don't it has sunk in properly to be honest."

The best was still to come on one of the greatest ever Olympic nights as Somalian born Brit Mo Farah made his move on the penultimate lap and stormed away from the field on the final lap to win the men's 10,000 metres; the first Brit to win an Olympic long-distance title. He held off the challenge from his fast-finishing American training partner Galen Rupp to win and deny Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele a third consecutive Olympic gold. Bekele's brother Tariku ended with bronze as Farah rounded off a record-breaking day for British sport in wonderful style. There could be more golds to come in the Olympic Stadium for Team GB with Dai Greene and Christine Ohuruogu both qualifying for their finals in the 400 metre hurdles and 400 metres respectively. Farah will also run in the 5,000 metres as reigning world champion and aims to win the long-distance track double.

Earlier on in the day the men's four had successfully defended their Olympic title at Eton Dorney, just beating Australia to the line in a thrilling finish. It was the fourth time in a row that GB have won the Olympic title in this event and was GB's third rowing gold of these Games, the first time they have managed that since 1908. Copeland and Hosking, who only teamed up this season, then made it four golds for the British rowers as they led from the front to beat China by two seconds. Gold was next struck in the velodrome as the British women's pursuit team thrashed the USA to win the home team's cyclists' fifth gold of the games.