Sir Mo Farah's real name and net worth as British icon starts London Marathon

Sir Mo Farah will assume an honorary position as a starter at the London Marathon this Sunday. Britain's finest endurance athlete of all time will send off the 59,000 competitors on their journey as they traverse from Blackheath to The Mall. The Team GB legend stepped away from professional distance running in September 2023, having completed the 26.2 miles in his home city for the fourth and final time in April of the same year.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist, 43, never claimed victory in the event but achieved a third-place finish in 2018. However, he excelled over marginally shorter distances, claiming Olympic gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m events at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Now, Express Sport examines Sir Mo's life beyond his remarkable running abilities.

Sir Mo Farah's net worth

Sir Mo is believed to have accumulated millions of pounds annually during his peak years. But even after retiring his spikes in September 2023, he remains worth a substantial sum.

He has enhanced his personal wealth through numerous high-profile endorsement agreements and sponsorship partnerships, securing deals with brands such as Nike, Huawei, Virgin Media and Quorn. The four-time Olympic champion has additionally collaborated with Lucozade, Bupa, Save the Children and BandM, among others.

Overall, Sir Mo is believed to possess a net worth of approximately £3.75million, though certain estimates indicate it could reach as much as £5m.

Sir Mo Farah's real name

Farah rocketed to prominence at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 when he accomplished a historic double on the track, claiming 10,000m gold on 'Super Saturday' before mounting the podium once more in the 5,000m.

He replicated the extraordinary achievement in Rio four years later, retaining his title in both disciplines to establish himself as one of the greatest Olympians Great Britain has ever seen.

Yet, a decade after his extraordinary rise to celebrity in London, Sir Mo astonished the world when he disclosed the truth about how he came to Britain in a sensational documentary, telling viewers: "I'm not who you think I am".

The father-of-four, who was born in Somaliland, confessed he was brought into the country illegally under another child's name, with his true name being Hussein Abdi Kahin.

In the BBC documentary - titled The Real Mo Farah - the national treasure revealed his father was killed in the civil war in Somaliland when he was just four years old, before he was brought to the UK.

"Most people know me as Mo Farah but its not my name or it's not the reality," he said. "The real story is I was born in Somaliland, north of Somalia, as Hussein Abdi Kahin.

"Despite what I've said in the past, my parents never lived in the UK. When I was four my dad was killed in the civil war [and] as a family we were torn apart.

"I was separated from my mother and I was brought into the UK illegally under the name of another child called Mohamed Farah."

Sir Mo Farah's bombshell admission

After years of hiding it, Sir Mo added that having children had motivated him to reveal the truth about his past, as he explained: "Family means everything to me and as a parent, you always teach your kids to be honest, but I feel like I've always had that private thing where I could never be me and tell what's really happened.

"I've been keeping it for so long, its been difficult because you don't want to face it and often my kids ask questions, 'Dad, how come this?' And you've always got an answer for everything, but you haven't got an answer for that.

"That's the main reason I'm telling my story because I want to feel normal and... don't feel like you're holding on to something."

Sir Mo Farah's wife

Farah has been married to Tania Neill since 2010, having first met at school when they were 12 and 11, respectively. Although the pair were initially just friends and fell out of contact after leaving school, they later reconnected on Facebook and embarked on a relationship that went from strength to strength.

"He was always smiling, that's what stood out about Mo," Neill told the BBC as she recalled her first impression of her future husband. "Amongst the groups of grumpy teenagers, Mo was always happy go lucky."

The couple have welcomed three children together - twins Aisha and Amani, born in 2012, and a son, Hussein, born in 2015 - while Neill also has an elder daughter, Rihanna, from a previous relationship.

Sir Mo has previously spoken candidly about how he regards Rihanna as his own flesh and blood, telling GQ: "It upsets me when people say she's my stepdaughter. She is not."

He even dedicated his 10,000m gold at Rio 2016 to his daughter, taking to Instagram to write: "Oh my days....!! I did it for Rhianna.. My daughter!!! This is for my family."