Yes, it’s the clip sweeping the internet at the moment – the embarrassing moment when a US TV anchor fails to realise she’s interviewing a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
After setting a course record of one hour 59 seconds and holding off Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam in a sprint finish, Mo was interviewed by WSDU presenter LaTonya Norton, who asked him, “Haven’t you run before?” and “This isn’t your first time?”
Mo who? Clueless anchor LaTonya Norton (image courtesy of Eurosport)
All credit to his Mo-ness, he took it in his stride, powering through like a true professional, when surely many other sports stars would have taken offence at such a snub. He even went on Twitter today to ask fans to lay off Norton, saying that, “She made a mistake like we all do! She didn’t mean anything by it”.
WSDU, the network that broadcast the interview, has released a statement apologising for its “unfortunate phrasing”, and has offered an olive branch to Mo, stating that “We hope that Mr Farah will have occasion to visit New Orleans again and that we may have the opportunity to apologise in person.”
“We regret our unfortunate phrasing of questions posed to Mr Mo Farah following his impressive victory in this past weekend’s Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon in New Orleans and for not acknowledging his status as an Olympic champion.
“We express our sincere apology to Mr Farah and his many fans who may have been offended by our error.”
Damn straight 🙂
Tech Runner 