Are setbacks the key to success? An unsettling question because nobody wants a child to suffer. But many credit early hardship with the drive that brought them future glory.
Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked aged nine
Are setbacks the key to success? An unsettling question because nobody wants a child to suffer. But many credit early hardship with the drive that brought them future glory.
Runner's stunner
The athlete stares at the camera. "Most people know me as Mo Farah, but it's not my name or it's not the reality," he says. "The real story is I was born in Somaliland, north of Somalia, as Hussein Abdi Kahin. Despite what I've said in the past, my parents never lived in the UK... I was brought to the UK illegally under the name of another child."
This revelation is made in a new documentary, The Real Mo Farah. It tells the story of how the boy who became an Olympic championFarah won gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. runner endured a traumatic childhood.
He was four years old when his father was killed in Somaliland's civil war. To keep them safe, Hussein and his brother Hassan were sent by their motherFarah was reunited with her in 2000. to live with an uncle in DjiboutiA country in the Horn of Africa whose southern border is with Somaliland..
In Djibouti, a woman he did not know visited the house to look at him. When he was nine he was told she would take him to Europe to live with relatives - but he would have to change his name. From then on he would be known as Mohamed Farah.
Farah was excited by the idea of a new life in the UK. But nothing turned out as he expected: "I had all the contact details for my relative and once we got to her house, the lady took it off me and - right in front of me - ripped them up and put it in the bin. And at that moment I knew I was in trouble."
The woman, who had children of her own, treated him as a slave. "If I wanted food in my mouth, my job was to look after those kids, shower them, cook for them, clean for them..." His only refuge was running.
Farah told the truth to his PE teacher at Feltham Community College. The school informed the social services, and he was sent to live with a friend's family.
At 14, he was chosen to run for an English school team at a competition in Latvia. That meant he needed his own passport. His existence as Mo Farah became official.
Even when he met his future wife, he was reluctant to admit who he was. But she realised there were missing pieces to his story, and finally "wore him down with questioning".
Many successful people have had to overcome early setbacks. At 15, Charlize TheronThe actress originally hoped to become a ballet dancer, but turned to acting after injuring her knee. saw her mother shoot her alcoholic father dead in self-defence. Oprah ran away from home at 14 and gave birth to a baby boy who died shortly afterwards.
Benjamin FranklinA writer, politician, diplomat and scientist who pioneered the use of electricity and was one of the Founding Fathers of the USA. had to leave school at 10 and start working. And Jim CarreyThe actor's father was a musician who could not find enough work. At one point the family had to live in a van. had to drop out at 15 to support his family.
Are setbacks the key to success?
Yes: Nobody can expect things just to fall into their lap. Having to overcome adversity, particularly early on, gives people the determination and resilience they need to achieve their dreams.
No: Setbacks leave mental scars which stop people from realising their full potential. What we all need is recognition and encouragement, much like the kind Mo Farah was given by his PE teacher.
Or... There is a difference between minor setbacks, which teach valuable lessons in life, and major ones, which can be totally crushing. Many people would have been unable to deal with Farah's experience.
Keywords
Olympic champion - Farah won gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Their mother - Farah was reunited with her in 2000.
Djibouti - A country in the Horn of Africa whose southern border is with Somaliland.
Charlize Theron - The actress originally hoped to become a ballet dancer, but turned to acting after injuring her knee.
Benjamin Franklin - A writer, politician, diplomat and scientist who pioneered the use of electricity and was one of the Founding Fathers of the USA.
Jim Carrey - The actor's father was a musician who could not find enough work. At one point the family had to live in a van.
Mo Farah reveals he was trafficked aged nine
Glossary
Olympic champion - Farah won gold medals in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.
Their mother - Farah was reunited with her in 2000.
Djibouti - A country in the Horn of Africa whose southern border is with Somaliland.
Charlize Theron - The actress originally hoped to become a ballet dancer, but turned to acting after injuring her knee.
Benjamin Franklin - A writer, politician, diplomat and scientist who pioneered the use of electricity and was one of the Founding Fathers of the USA.
Jim Carrey - The actor’s father was a musician who could not find enough work. At one point the family had to live in a van.