AVIVA GRAND PRIX: Farah's pace leave rivals trailing in his wake

Posted: Friday 13th July 2012 | 20:37

MO Farah imposed himself on a high-quality 5,000m field to warm-up for next month's London Olympics with a commanding victory at the Aviva Grand Prix at Crystal Palace.

INTENT: Mo Farah won the 5,000m at the Aviva Grand Prix in London - in 22 days time he goes for Olympic gold in the 10,000m at London 2012

Farah split the field with a 58-second penultimate lap and then continued that trademark burst of speed to produce an even quicker final lap.

He won by well over 15 metres as his injection of pace left no-one able to respond and there can be no doubt about his sparkling form ahead of the Olympic 10,000m final in just 22 days time.

"I'm in great shape and I've still got some speed things to work on," said the world 5,000m champion, who clocked 13:06.05, a time aided by final two laps that would count as a respectable stand alone 800m.

"Conditions weren't that great but I should be used to this weather, I won't have any complaints if it's like this again at the Olympics either."

Perri Shakes-Drayton recorded a massive 53.77 second personal best to beat a world-class 400m hurdles field and establish her Olympic credentials.

The time moved her to joint second in the world rankings, alongside Irina Davydova, who she left trailing in second, with only Russian Natalya Antyukh going quicker in 2012.

Shakes-Drayton will now head to the Olympics - the track and field competition starts in exactly three weeks - with confidence, which never seems in short supply for one of Team GB's bubbliest athletes, brimming.

She also moves ahead of Beijing bronze medallist Natasha Danvers on the all-time British rankings, with only 1992 Olympic champion Sally Gunnell running faster.

Meanwhile, Dai Greene is now looking forward to spending the final days before the Games preparing at the British team's Algarve training base as he looks to add the Olympic 400m hurdles title to his collection of world, European and Commonwealth golds.

Greene, named this week as Team GB's track and field captain, was denied an eagerly anticipated head-to-head with Bershawn Jackson, who he engaged in verbal spat earlier this year, but came home second to world leader Javier Culson.

Jackson - who hasn't even qualified for the US Olympic team - was left fuming after false-starting while Culson is looking tougher and tougher to beat and clocked 47.18 secs, the quickest time in the world this year.

But Greene was a solid second and claims to be peaking when it matters while training partner Jack Green posted an impressive 48.60 sec personal best to come fourth.

Elsewhere, Andrew Pozzi enjoyed a mixed evening, running a 13.34 sec personal best in the 110m hurdles semi-finals before making a hash of his stride pattern in the final and failing to finish.

Rising star Pozzi was the only British athlete to take part after Olympic team-mates Andy Turner and Lawrence Clarke didn't progress to a final won impressively by American world leader Aries Merritt.

Hannah England's return to track after recent Achilles problems didn't go according to plan as she trailed home last in the 1,500m.

The world silver medallist is struggling to recapture her 2011 form and rising star Laura Weightman was the best of the Brits behind winner Maryam Yusuf Jamal, the two-time world champion, in fourth while Lisa Dobriskey came home seventh.

Dwain Chambers posted a pedestrian 10.35 secs to finish a distant fifth in the 100m semi-finals and didn't advance to the final, which was won by former world champion Tyson Gay in 10.03 secs - a decent time in chilly conditions.

Lawrence Okoye threw 63.33 metres to finish third in a highly-competitive discus final, a mark only bettered by winner Gerd Kanter and Virgilijus Alenka, who both have won Olympic golds.

Chris Tomlinson, after a season plagued by injury worries, was encouraged by a 8.26m season's best that secured second in the long jump.

But British number one Steve Lewis was well off his best as he cleared just 5.40m in the pole vault - although his Australian training partner Steve Hooker, the current Olympic champion, didn't even post a height.