Mo Farah splits with controversial track coach Alberto Salazar

British distance legend Mo Farah has joined a growing list of high-profile athletes to part ways with controversial track coach Alberto Salazar.

On Monday, The Sun in Manchester, England reported the 2017 world champion in the 10,000 metres had left the famous Nike Oregon Project training group to focus on marathon running in London.

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​"I'm not leaving the Nike Oregon Project and Alberto Salazar because of the doping allegations [against Salazar]," Farah, who will continue as a Nike-sponsored athlete, told the newspaper.

"This situation has been going on for over two years. If I was going to leave because of that I would have."

Farah, who has won four Olympic gold medals and six world titles, will return to the United Kingdom in January followed by his wife Tania and their four children later next year.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency has been investigating allegations about the Oregon Project for at least the last two years without any official charges or sanctions.

Salazar, who is believed to have offered to continue as an adviser to Farah, has been accused of skirting anti-doping rules while training athletes.

"If I ever had reason to doubt Alberto," said Farah, "I would not have stood by him all this time."

In June 2015, it was reported Farah had shunned NOP after Salazar was accused of administering banned supplements to athletes.

Under his direction, the 34-year-old Farah won Olympic gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 in 2012 and 2016. He is also the only athlete in history to win both events at the Summer Games on two straight occasions.

This past summer, Canadian distance runner Cam Levins ended his four-plus year working relationship with Salazar to reunite with Eric Houle, who coached the native of Black Creek, B.C., at Southern Utah University.

Others who have left Salazar include:

• Former U.S. high school star track athlete Mary Cain left Salazar last October after her performances continued to lag behind expectations. Three months earlier, she finished 11th in the 1,500 at the Rio Olympic trials after setting the U.S. junior two-mile and 1,500 records in 2013 along with high school marks in the 800 and 5,000.
• In 2011, former University of Colorado distance star Kara Goucher left the Oregon Project after seven years because of Salazar's win-at-all-costs persona, flippant attitude toward therapeutic use exemptions, willingness to ignore anti-doping rules and other actions that put her health at risk, the Denver Post reported.

Farah reportedly wanted a coach who could work with him one-on-one full-time, so he is said to be hooking up with Gary Lough, the former coach and current husband of British marathon star Paula Radcliffe. Lough guided Radcliffe to London Marathon victories in 2002, 2003 and 2005.

"Gary successfully coached Paula Radcliffe, Britain's greatest-ever marathon runner who I've always looked up to," said Farah. "He has an in-depth understanding of what is needed to achieve real results at marathon distance."

"It's been an honour and privilege to work with Mo," said Salazar in a statement obtained by The Sun. "I believe Gary is a great choice for him."

World silver in 5,000m

Salazar didn't attend the world championships in August while Lough, whom Farah has known since he was 16, plans to travel to Ethiopia with the runner next spring for altitude training which Salazar wasn't able to do in recent years.

After the world championships in London, where Farah also won silver in the 5,000, he prevailed in the 3,000 at a Diamond League meet in Birmingham, England.

Farah ended his illustrious track career later in August, battling back to win the 5,000 in 13 minutes 6.05 seconds at Weltklasse Zurich to take home the Diamond League Trophy and $50,000 US.

In September, he won a record-breaking fourth consecutive title in the Great North Run half marathon (21 kilometres) on Sept. 10 in England.

Farah's first serious outing over the marathon event will be in April at the London Marathon, where he finished eighth over the 42.2-kilometre distance three years ago in two hours eight minutes 21 seconds.