From trafficked as a child to Olympic gold, Sir Mo Farah to inspire in Literary Festival prelude events

Sir Mo Farah will be in Gibraltar this week in two prelude events in this year’s Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival. Sir Mo spoke to Chronicle reporter Eyleen Gomez about his life from being trafficked as a child to becoming an Olympic gold medalist. Sir Mo aims to inspire the public during his visit and share his drive and motivation, and encourage people to live active lives.

Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah plans to connect with the public during a special charity ‘Around the Rock Run’ and conversation session as part of prelude events for the 2026 Gibunco Gibraltar Literary Festival.

Sir Mo will be in Gibraltar on Friday and Saturday where he hopes to inspire, whether through telling his personal story or running alongside them at the charity run.

From his home in Doha, the four time Olympic champion told the Chronicle about several turning points in his life, from his childhood upheaval to Olympic glory.

Sir Mo is considered one of the greatest runners of all time with four Olympic and six world titles to his name.

But he described the defining moment in his life was when he arrived in the UK as a child.

This was a journey he made from Somaliland, when he was trafficked into the country aged nine and forced into child labour.

He has spoken publicly about his past during a documentary ‘The Real Mo Farah’ and continues to do so.

“Talking about my story and actually that coming out, that’s another part and now there’s the transition from being an athlete to retired,” he said.

“And now what I’m doing with the community, to try and get more people active, as well start my own business plans, and show people, no matter where we from, what we do, we can overcome these things and show people what is possible really."

His second defining chapter was his double gold in the 2012 London Olympics.

Behind the medals is a story of perseverance.

Four years prior he failed to reach the Olympic final in Beijing.

This, he said, left him devastated.

That setback left him questioning his future in athletics, yet strong family support and guidance from the right people kept him in focus for Olympic success.

For an elite athlete the four-year Olympic cycle means they are under constant scrutiny, and this becomes increasingly challenging due to constant pressure and expectations.

Despite the stumbling blocks, his love for the sport kept him motivated to keep improving and exploring new challenges, and he progressed from a 1500m runner to competing in longer distances, including marathons.

Now Sir Mo is determined to motivate people change their lives and be more active, regardless of age.

“I think it’s important for all of us, whether it’s children or older people and just showing people if you’re not willing to take that first step, it’s hard to do anything in life,” he said.

“It’s almost like if you don’t want to go outside, open that door and take that first step.”

His goal now is to encourage children to be more active, promoting gradual progress such as starting with one mile and slowly increasing activity both in and outside of school.

For the older general, he said that people are never too old to be active.

“I think it’s that part of you telling yourself that if you’re too old,” he said.

“If you keep telling yourself that it comes like a weight on you. It’s almost like we’re never too old to do anything really, try it.”

This will be his first time in Gibraltar, but Sir Mo has heard of the Rock through his friendship with Lee Taylor, a local former Island Games runner.

“I’m honestly looking forward to seeing the people and running around the Rock and it’s going to be beautiful,” he said.

During his visit to Gibraltar he will motivate people to believe in themselves.

“I’m enjoying meeting people and traveling around the world and as well try and encourage people in sports and giving back to people is so important,” he said.

There will be a chance for the public to meet him the night before the run at the event in the Sunborn, where he will be in conversation with Thomas Watt.

He also hopes to answer questions while enjoying the run around the Rock.

His message to those lining up beside him on the start line is simple: “I always say to people, listen, just we’re going to enjoy it, so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

The weekend, commencing Friday April 17, Sir Mo Farah will feature in an exclusive ‘In Conversation With’ event at the Sunborn Hotel at 7pm, followed by an ‘Around the Rock Run’ on Saturday morning at 8.30am, with all proceeds donated to charity.

Book online via: www.buytickets.gi/events/mo-farah-in-gibraltar