NEW YORK, June 19 (IANS): Two-time Olympic champion Mo Farah on Friday denied ever taking performance enhancing drugs, insisting that he has �fully explained� his missed tests.
In a statement, Farah insisted that he had been �reassured� of the innocence of his coach Alberto Salazar, who is accused of doping offences, reports dailymail.co.uk.
�I have never taken performance enhancing drugs in my life and I never will. Over the course of my career I have taken hundreds of drugs tests and every single one has been negative,� Farah, who won gold medals in 5,000 and 10,000 metres in the 2012 London Games, said.
�I�ve fully explained the only two tests in my career that I have ever missed, which the authorities understood, and there was never any suggestion that these were anything more than simple mistakes.�
The three-time world champion, who insisted that the last few weeks have been �the toughest of my life�, said he was �angry, frustrated and upset�.
�The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life � with rumours and speculation about me that are completely false � and the impact this has had on my family and friends have left me angry, frustrated and upset,� the 32-year-old said.
�In particular, the media pressure on my young family and my wife, who is five months pregnant, is extremely painful, especially as I�m away training for some important races.�
The Somalia-born athlete thanked his fans, family, friends and teammates for the support they have provided over the last few days.
�I would like to take this opportunity to thank my fans, family, friends and teammates for all the great support they have provided over the last few days and hope that I will now be allowed to focus on my training and winning medals for my country,� the five-time European champion said. Farah had come under pressure after it was revealed that he missed two tests in 2010 and 2011.
