BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) – British athletics great Mo Farah paid a handsome tribute to the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali on Sunday as he broke David Moorcroft’s 34-year-old British 3000 metres record at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting.

The 33-year-old two-time Olympic champion and quintuple world champion struck a boxing pose as he celebrated his win at the Birmingham Diamond League meeting paying his respects to Ali, who died of septic shock aged 74 on Friday.

“It was a tribute definitely to Muhammad Ali,” said Farah, who last year withdrew from the meeting because he felt drained by the coverage of the doping allegations against his coach Alberto Salazar, who denies all wrongdoing.

“My sympathy goes to his family, he was a great man.

“He was a real influence on me as I wrote in my biography, I looked up to him.”

The meet had been interrupted earlier for a minute’s applause to honour Ali, a former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist.