Mo Farah is ditching his name for his new career as a marathon runner

The World Championships 5,000m men’s final may end up being the last time the name Mo Farah will be spoken.

The British athlete, who took silver in the race, told reporters that his impending retirement from track athletics will also see him retire the name Mo.

His second-place finish behind Ethopia’s Muktar Edris secured his second medal of the 2017 World Championships in London, and the eighth World Championships medal of his career.

It came in a time more than 15 seconds quicker than his victory run two years ago in Beijing, but was not enough to wrap up a double gold for the third straight Worlds.

“I just feel like Mo is done. I need to forget about what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done,” said the 34-year-old, whose full name is Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah.

"I've done my country and many people proud. It makes me proud to be British, to put British distance running on the map,” he added, while explaining his preference to be known by his ‘road name’ Mohamed as he turns his attentions to marathon running.

The two podium finishes this summer will be his last in an illustrious career which also includes four Olympic golds and multiple European medals.

The veteran will take part in a handful of smaller races this year before stepping away from the track for good and restricting himself to road racing.

He took bronze in the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, while his marathon personal best of 2:08:21 is less than six minutes off the world record time.

(Images: Rex Features)