British Olympic Champion Mo Farah Reveals Secret Identity as a Trafficked Child

Mo Farah of Great Britain competes in the Muller Anniversary Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on July 23, 2016. Dan Mullan/Getty Images

The UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, has praised Mo Farah as a “truly inspirational” role model after the four-time Olympic champion revealed his true identity and that he was actually trafficked into Britain under a fake name at the age of nine.

The 39-year-old won gold in the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres race at the 2012 Olympics in London and then successfully defended both titles at Rio de Janeiro four years later, but he has now revealed he was actually born Hussein Abdi Kahin.