NEWHAM & ESSEX Beagles athlete Mo Farah is to undergo blood tests after he threw away an imposing lead at Saturday s Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country event. Farah, back in action after finishing second at the European Cross Country Champio

NEWHAM & ESSEX Beagles athlete Mo Farah is to undergo blood tests after he threw away an imposing lead at Saturday's Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country event.

Farah, back in action after finishing second at the European Cross Country Championships in Ireland in December, came third in the domestic 4k race, run in the Scottish snow and in front of the BBC cameras.

The 26-year-old was carried off on a stretcher in Dublin after collapsing with exhaustion following a gruelling battle with Spanish winner Alemayehu Bezabeh.

Farah subsequently missed the post-race medal ceremony as the Beagles athlete received treatment in the medical centre.

In Scotland this weekend he was struggling again as he crossed the line, and said: "There's something not right, I almost collapsed again."

He had powered into a commanding position in Edinburgh, with a 100 metre lead at one point, but his fast start was to catch up with him in the closing stages.

His legs turned to lead as he fell back to a distant third place behind eventual winner Ricky Stevenson and Steve Vernon, who had been the first to peg back Farah's substantial lead.

After the race Farah looked groggy and paramedics offered medical attention, but the Beagles star managed to remain on his feet, despite his obvious discomfort.

The long-distance runner will be having blood tests to find out the extent of the problem before flying off to a high-altitude camp in Kenya on Tuesday.