Birmingham GP: Mo Farah sets new indoor two-mile world record

London: Britain`s double world and Olympic champion Mo Farah set a new indoor world record over two miles at the Birmingham Indoor Grand Prix on Saturday.

The 31-year-old crossed the line in eight minutes 3.40 seconds to eclipse Kenenisa Bekele`s mark of 8min 04.35sec, which the Ethiopian great set at the same meeting seven years ago.

Farah sat on the shoulder of Kenya`s Paul Koech in the race`s early stages before striking out with seven laps to go and streaking home to shave almost a second off Bekele`s mark.

"So many times I have been asked, `Am I ever going to break a world record?`, so it`s nice to say I`ve done it now," Farah said. "I want to be back on the track. That`s where I belong."

Farah had become embroiled in a row with Great Britain team-mate Andy Vernon prior to the meeting and he claimed the spat had inspired him to break the record.

Farah reacted angrily when Vernon made a sarcastic remark on Twitter about the poor quality of the Birmingham field.

The row escalated when Somalia-born Farah claimed Vernon had told him he had not deserved to win last year`s European 10,000 metres title because he was not European, which Vernon strongly denied.

"It inspired me. I wanted to do it," Farah said of the spat.

"Whatever`s happened has happened. We`ve got to move on, but at the same time, I`m an athlete. That`s what I do best. I just have to keep running."

Vernon offered Farah his congratulations on Twitter, saying: "Everything aside that was a cracking run @Mo_Farah. Congratulations on the new WR."