4-Time Olympic Track Champion Mo Farah Chases Down Thieves After His Phone Is Stolen During Jog

Farah began to chase down the vehicle at “full throttle,” according to a witness

Two thieves got a big surprise when they realized that the cellphone they stole belonged to Olympic track champion Mo Farah.

Farah, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in the 5,000- and 10,000-meters, was out for a run along with his wife, Tania Nell last week and left his phone on the side of a private road leading to the large Surrey estate the couple shares. As they left the house, Farah saw a white van approach and two men take his phone, according to The Times.

The thieves then got back into the van — and Farah began to chase down the vehicle at “full throttle,” a witness told the outlet.

Farah easily caught up to the van, and the thieves reportedly handed over Farah’s phone without any further incident.

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Per The Times, there is now an investigation into the theft.

Farah is Britain's most-decorated track athletes in history, with his double golds in the 5,000- and 10,000-meters in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. He also earned 6 gold and 2 silver medals at World Championships during his running career.

Farah and Nell, who wed in 2010, have three children — twin daughters Aisha and Amani and a son named Hussein. Farah is also stepfather to Nell’s daughter Rihanna.

In a 2022 documentary, Farah revealed that his real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin and he was taken from his family in his native Somaliland at age 9 and trafficked to England.

Related: Olympic Legend Mo Farah Reveals He Was Taken from Family, Trafficked to U.K. at Age 9

“Despite what I've said in the past, my parents never lived in the U.K. When I was 4, my dad was killed in a civil war,” Farah said at the time. “As a family, we were torn apart. I was separated from my mother and I was brought into the U.K. illegally, under the name of another child called Mohamed Farah.”

“From that moment, coming in, [I had] a different name, a different identity,” he said. “I know I've taken someone else's place.”