MOHAMED FARAH WINS 10,000 M

On a day of jubilant British elation, Mo Farah's breathtaking triumph in the 10,000 metres just about capped the lot.

A nerveless, scintillating 25 laps thrilled from starting gun to finish line as Farah was roared home by a partisan crowd, unable to comprehend the full splendour of what they had witnessed in the Olympic Stadium.

And when his stepdaughter Rihanna ran on to the track clutching a Union Jack to embrace him, followed by his wife Tania, if there was a dry eye in the house they must have had ice in their veins.

Stunned: Mo Farah crosses the line to win the 10,000m title at the London Olympics

Go Mo Go. From the bouncing bedlam of the Olympic Stadium in London to the Twittersphere, a nation's hopes and dreams rested on his slim shoulders: could Mo Farah crown the most sensational day for Britain in Olympic history for more than a century?

This was 10,000 metres of nail-biting tension, after Jess Ennis and Greg Rutherford had already raised the excitement to fever pitch levels.

Waiting game: Farah (second right) stalks the leader as he prepares to make his move in the 10,000m

Happy families: Farah celebrates with his daughter Rihanna after winning gold

Farah knew he had the fastest finish - a 53secs last lap in his armoury - and the only question was whether his opponents would try to unsettle him by raising the pace.

Keeping his nerve was the key - with 16 laps to go the leaders had opened up a 20-yard gap but Farah did not budge from his game plan and kept in the pack and out of trouble.

Hard at work: Mo Farah runs in the 10,000m at the Olympic Stadium in London

With three laps to go, the Ethiopians tried to take it on, but Farah went with them, a dozen others on his heels as the stadium went madder and madder.

Last lap and he hit the front, a crescendo of noise driving him home to cross the line - with his training partner Galen Rupp of the United States in silver - and send the stadium into delirium.

A moment of disbelief, and then the smile flashed like the thousands of cameras in the Olympic Stadium.

Sealed with a kiss: Farah celebrates with his wife Tania and daughter Rihanna

For Farah, this was a medal that had been earned the hard way, through sheer physical graft - 100 miles a week - and a mental toughening process that did not come easy to someone so naturally happy-go-lucky.

Beijing was the turning point, when he was brought up short by his failure to qualify for the 5,000m final. Farah has come such a long way since then; physically, psychologically and personally.

The good-time guy who loved to party with his friends and stay up into the early hours, decided to knuckle down, helped by a new-found maturity perhaps brought on by the birth of his daughter and the drive of Tania, and the canny advice of his American coach Alberto Salazar.

Royal acclaim: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge cheer on Mo Farah