Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah was born Hussein Abdi Kahin in Somalia. At the age of 9 he was illegally trafficked to the UK via the Republic of Djibouti by a woman who told him he was being taken to stay with relatives. In the UK the child was given the name Mohamed Farah, kept out of school and forced to do housework and child care. Around the age of 11 or 12, Mo finally began attending school where he excelled at athetlics and confided in his Physical Education teacher, Alan Watkinson, about his background; Watkinson helped Mo to be fostered by a Somali family. By the age of 13, Mo was beginning to make a name for himself. In 2001, he won the 5000 metres at the European Athletics Junior Championships. Farah has gone on to win numerous other awards and is regarded as the most successful male track distance runner ever. He was knighted in 2017.