Sir Mo Farah: ‘I would have loved to play for Arsenal’

The athlete, 38, talks about winning the Olympics in London, jogging down the Thames, his strict training regime and how often he shaves his head

I don't have many memories of growing up in Somalia - I was so young. I remember coming to the UK, age eight, going to school - even though I couldn't speak any English - and suddenly having all these friends to play with.

I owe a lot to my PE teacher, Mr Watkinson. He saw me running around the playground, he watched me run in a figure of eight around the gym. Then he thought: That kid is good at running." He encouraged me to join a local running club. We're still in touch.