Mo Farah will like another athletics superstar Usain Bolt bring the curtain down on his track career at the world championships with he hopes a final double golden flourish.
The 34-year-old Somalia-born Briton — who will switch his focus to road running — can capture his 10th successive world or Olympic title in the 10000 metres on Friday.
Then he hopes to bow out in style on the track in london where he achieved his first Olympic double in 2012 with the 5000m on Saturday week.
That will bring to an end a six year spell where like Bolt in the sprints Farah has dominated.
He broke up the previous hegemony of the Kenyans and Ethiopians, lifting his exploits up above those of legends such as Paavo Nurmi, lasse Viren, Emil Zatopek, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele.
However whilst many question how will the sport cope without Bolt and his engaging showmanship — lightning bolt and all — perhaps unfairly the same has not been said about the vacuum that Farah will leave in his wake.
Despite his achievements — Olympic (2012/16) and world doubles (2013/15) at 5000m and 10000m — the British public have been left largely unmoved.
Only once, in 2011, has he reached the top three in the popular vote for the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year poll.
It prompted British triathlon star Alistair Brownlee to decry the glaring omission for an athlete whose exploits were recognised by Queen Elizabeth II who bestowed a knighthood on him.
"It's really sad, because for me he is the perfect British story," Brownlee told The Guardian in December last year after Farah finished only fourth in the poll.
"It's what we should be about: a person who comes to Britain as a young man, as a refugee, and an ex-schoolteacher (Alan Watkinson) identifies something that he's brilliant at and he represents Britain as the best in the world.
"I think that's a fantastic British story."
Whilst Brownlee put it down to Farah perhaps not being considered British — he came from war-torn Somalia via Djibouti with his mother (Amran) and two of his five siblings aged eight to England to join their father Muktar — doping claims made about his US-based coach Alberto Salazar, since proved to be false, may have had an impact.
Farah, though, is used to adversity having been separated from his twin brother Hassan for 12 years until he returned to Somalia for the latter's wedding.
Farah, who was forthright with regard to US President Donald Trump's remarks about Muslims last year when he was a candidate describing them as "blasphemy", also had to put up with racist comments at his london school.
"It was difficult to adapt to london at first but when you're aged eight, you somehow find a way," Farah told 'The Big Issue', the weekly magazine which is sold by the homeless last year.
"You make friends. I was always quite accepted, I think because I never saw myself as different to anyone else, a different colour. I had white friends, black friends.
"I was easy going. The occasional comment, I just chose not to hear it.
"I was good at running so the kids liked me for that. If I hadn't been into running I wouldn't have made friends, met so many people and learned the language as quickly as I did."
Farah, who is looking forward to spending more time with his wife Tania and four children which includes twin girls born soon after his 2012 Olympic double, will bow out with few regrets outwardly at least save that had he been more disciplined early on his legacy would be even greater.
"I wasn't focused when I was 16," he told 'The Big Issue'.
"I was just chilling out, going to school, seeing my friends. I wasn't taking running seriously.
"I'm not complaining but now I think if I'd listened to my coach more then maybe I could have been more successful. I could have won more medals."
De Grasse out injured
Ottawa: Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse suffered a torn hamstring in training and will not compete at the IAAF World Championships in london, Athletics Canada has announced.
The 22-year-old from suburban Toronto, who took silver in the 200 metres and bronze in the 100 at last year's Rio Olympics, was expected to challenge Usain Bolt for gold in london, where the meet begins Friday.
It was not revealed on which leg De Grasse suffered the torn hamstring, which happened in a Monday training run. A second opinion yesterday confirmed the diagnosis, leading to his decision to withdraw from the Worlds.
"The entire year this 100m race in london was my focus. I am really in the best shape of my life and was looking forward to competing against the best in the world," De Grasse said.
"To not have this opportunity is unimaginable to me but it is the reality I am faced with.
“I am sad to miss this chance but I am young and will be back and better than ever in the near future."
De Grasse took bronze at the 2015 IAAF Worlds in Beijing in the 100 and as part of the 4x100 relay, which also took Rio Olympic bronze. "I really feel for Andre," said Athletics Canada coach Glenroy Gilbert.
"I know he really wanted to make a mark at the World Championships.
"Injuries are part of the sport, obviously. The timing is terrible.
"As a team, the focus doesn't change. We need to be ready to compete starting Friday. We've been talking about the depth of the program.
“Now is a chance for some of our other stars to shine and have some of our up and coming athletes step up."